Twists of Fate
by amhaliah
Summary: Repost complete, Many years after Kagome first falls down the well, she sits down and tells her tale of tempting fate as she fought for humans and youkai to live in peace together. SessXKag I do not own Inuyasha!
1. Prologue

Twists of Fate

This is a repost of the stories, 'The way things go,' 'the difference between me and you,' 'Into the past I go,' and the remainder of the story that has yet to be written. All of the individual stories are being placed together.

Kagome tells the story of her search to belong in someone's life, the fight against Naraku, how she became part of the guardians, and her fight against those that wished to wipe youkai from the earth.

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Prologue

"Mother, when will you share your secrets with me?" The young man questioned.

Kagome looked at him and smiled, her son had grown to be a beautiful and powerful man, much like his father. "You want to know my secrets?"

"You know that I do. I have questioned you for years now." He answered.

Kagome looked over the room at the audience her son's statement had caused. "Alright then. If I'm going to tell this tale, I'm going to start at the beginning." Kagome sighed to herself as she thought about her tale. Memories she had long put behind her began to fill her mind. After several silent minutes, Kagome's mouth opened and the story of the past began to come to life.


	2. Chapter 1 Picking up the pieces

As Kagome Stated in the prologue, she's starting from the beginning so it will take time for many things to be explained...

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Part 1- The way things go

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Chapter 1 -- Picking up the pieces

The light within the study was quite low, but it was enough for the person at the desk to see. The curtains were drawn behind the desk, even though the sun had long past went down. The only occupant of the room stared at the papers on the desk not knowing where to begin. The large amount of papers were strewn on the desk, and anyone that looked at it could tell that no one had read threw the reports from throughout the lands in some time. The young woman sighed heavily looking down at the papers. Her face held sorrow, her long silver and black hair hanging loose around her, her dark colored eyes had silver speckles within them, indicating her non-human heritage. Another peculiar trait was the black lines above and beneath her eyes, as well as half way down the sides of her nose. All of these traits were common to her breed, though the mark of a half moon above a crook at her collar bone indicated her noble birth. She continued to stare down at the papers until their was a knock on the door.

"Enter." She stated with slight aggravation.

The servant entered into the room with a bow, "My Lady, here is the information you requested."

The woman took the paper and the servant quickly left the room. She set the paper on her lap and began stacking all the papers on the desk, so that they could be set to the side. Once finished, she set the paper down in front of her and began to read quietly to herself.

"Lord Nakamura, Lord Bunto, Lord Itou, Lord Kumori, Lord Hinotetori, Lord Taisho. Six lords, I have to prove myself in front of six lords. What am I going to do?" She questioned placing her head on her hand. Tears began to well at the corner of her eyes.

A few minutes later there was another knock on the door. When she told them to enter, a soldier walked in and bowed to one knee before approaching the desk.

"General Ramsee, you're just the person I want to see." She told him as she motioned for him to sit.

"What can I do for you, Lady Netali?" The man questioned as he moved to the side of the desk.

"You've never been so formal with me, why the change?" She questioned somewhat alarmed.

"Before you were the young heir, and now you are the liege. My change in formality is the least of things that will be different for you." The general informed her.

She sighed sadly before continuing, "I don't know how they do things here. How am I supposed to present myself to the lords of this land?"

The man thought for several minutes before speaking, "You need to send out invitations for them to come here for a lord's gathering. Many of them will at least have heard of what has happened, so they will expect the change."

"They will expect a man to be sitting on that seat, Ramsee." Netali stated.

"Prove to them that you are just as strong as they are and they will look past your gender." Ramsee instructed.

"I want them to acknowledge my right to succession, not just my father's replacement." She stated, anger showing in her voice until she mentioned her father.

"They will see that with time. All they need see right now is that you can stand toe to toe with them." He encouraged her.

Netali thought for a few minutes before responding, "Who is the most familiar with contents of this room?" She questioned.

"Ashina would know where everything is. If it pleases you, I'll have her sent to you in the morning." Ramsee responded.

"It would please me for you to send her here now." Netali retorted.

"It will be done." Ramsee stated as he lifted himself from the chair and then dropped to one knee in the traditional bow before leaving the room.

Netali watched him leave the room. She regretted having to invoke her authority over him. He had been a very good friend to her all of her life, but now it seemed as if that friendship was gone. She mourned the loss of her friend for a moment. She had already lost her family, she regretted having to lose her friend as well.

Netali took out a sheet of parchment and began to think of what to say in her invitation to the lords. After pondering the layout of the letter, she began to write out the first invitation to the first lord on the paper she had just been given.

"Lord Nakamura, I would like to invite you to House Hasan for a gathering…" She began, but quickly disregarded the paper. She pondered her families involvement with the other lords for a moment before continuing.

"To House Nakamura, I am pleased to put before you an over due invitation to House Hasan. This invitation has been sent to all the Lord's and their families of this region. As the newest Liege of house Hasan, I should like to greet all of you personally. This gathering will begin on the day of the half moon. I look forward to your arrival. Heir of Luminos Hasan"

After reading over the short invitation, she found it to her liking and began transcribing the other five invitations. Once completed, they were all folded and sealed with the house name written on the front of the paper. The day of the half moon was eight days from tomorrow. It didn't give her much time to straighten out all of the chaos the house had been thrown into, but it needed to be done as quickly as possible. It would not look good on her if the meeting was delayed for the months that would be needed to straighten out all the details that came with a change of authority. There was a knock on the door and as expected it was Ashina who entered.

"General Ramsee told me that you had need of me my Lady." She said as she dropped to her knee.

"First, I need these letters sent to the lords, they need to leave immediately. Once that has been done, I need all documents containing dealings with the other lords. In the morning, you will show me were everything is kept within this room." Netali instructed her.

"It will be done." Ashina stated as she stood and took the letters to deliver them to the messengers.

Once she had given her instructions, Netali turned to the stack of papers that had been set to the side earlier. She began sorting the papers as she read through them to see what had been happening the past several weeks. There was three villages currently having problems with bandits. Two villages were having trouble with food shortages. The rest of the papers were scout and commerce reports. She paused for a moment after putting the papers to the side. The five villages would need to be visited, she counted each of them as taking a day to contend with. That gave her three days to spare for other problems between now and then. Reluctantly, she decided it was time to go to the masters' quarters.

As she approached the double doors that lead to the sitting room, her feet began to slow. All her life these rooms had been restricted and now she was about to enter them. It felt very odd to her to come into the rooms without being called for, but of course, there was no one left to call her into the rooms. They belonged to her now. Once she had entered, she looked over the room and decided a couple things that she wished to change. She would have the servants do this however, she had a more important task to complete. She walked through a door on the side wall and entered into a bed room. This room was accessible from the hallway, but she had wanted to make note of things that needed to be done in the sitting room, for she would most assuredly be using the room quite a bit once the lords had arrived.

Once Netali had entered the bedroom, she was hit by a pang of remorse. Ten years had passed from the last time she had seen her parents, and now she would never see them again. All of their personal items within the room reminded her of just how much she would miss them. At first thought she wished to gut the entire room of its contents and throw them onto a pyre so that she would be rid of the reminder of their absence. She knew this to be irrational, and immediately decided against it though it did seem to be the easiest way for her to complete the task. She first walked to the end of the large size bed and knelt down in front of the foot locker. She sorted through all the contents and pulled out both of her parents journals and a dress that had belonged to her mother. She took the items to table near the fire place on the opposite end of the room and set them down. Until one of the wardrobes was empty, this is where she had decided to gather what she wished to keep. All of the possessions she did not wish to keep, however, were being placed in the open footlocker she would deal with their disposal later. She circled around the room sorting through her fathers belongings, they would be the easiest to go through, only in the fact that the clothes were not useful to anyone. There was a couple of his more formal outfits that she had decided to keep.

There was a soft knock on the door as she was finishing sorting through her father's things. Upon being told to enter the room, one of the cleaning servants entered the room and knelt.

"Is there anything I can do to assist you, my Lady?" She questioned.

"Yes, I need my belongings brought up from the entry hall when my escort arrives. I also need everything in my old room gathered up and brought in here. Everything within the footlocker can be done away with. Quarters will need to be prepared for the lords' visit, I wish it done in four days. Also, I will need a couple servants to alter a few things within the sitting room, this I want done in three days." Netali concluded. She took a moment to describe the changes she wished within the sitting room.

"What of the morning meal, my Lady?" The servant questioned once Netali had finished her descriptions.

"I'll take it in the private dinning room. I'll be taking all my meals there, unless there are guests within the mansion, you have my leave to go." Netali concluded.

Once the servant had gathered an armful of the footlockers contents she quickly exited the room. Knowing much of the night had passed, Netali decided to open the curtains which lead out to the balcony. From the color of the sky she knew that she had a couple hours before the morning meal. She turned back to her task and looked at the last object on top of the dresser. Her father's sword lay on it, shattered in pieces. The pieces were carefully lain out so that the sword almost looked complete, after a moment she decided that she would reforge the blade. She gathered the pieces onto a cloth and set them on the table near the fire place, she would begin work on the blade once the villages had been dealt with.

Sorting through her mother's belongings was much quicker then going through her father's. Much of the clothes Netali could not fit in, due to the fact that she was not completely grown up. Many of the metal shoulder straps designed to hold cloaks did fit her however, and she simply left them within the wardrobe. Soon the task was complete, and Netali took one half-shirt and long skirt that she could fit into and went to the bathing room so that she could prepare for the morning meal.

Once her bath was complete, she took the clothes that had belonged to her mother and began to get dressed. Both pieces of clothing were a light gray color, which complimented her hair color and facial markings. The shirt ended just below the bust line, a band at the bottom which wrapped around the back and clasped in the front. The top came up to her neck with a similar band that clasped at the back of the neck, leaving her back mostly exposed. The straight skirt had a metal belt at the top and the material ,which extended down to the ankle, was split from the knee to the floor. Pulling her hair up into a high ponytail, she decided to go back into the bedroom. She picked up one of the shoulder straps that she had set aside, the strap had metal rods that extended above and slightly wider then her shoulders, and at the end were small metal hooks. Before slipping her arms through the strap, she attacked a black piece of cloth that extended to the floor and had metal rings at the top, measured exactly to fit the hooks on the strap. Before leaving the room, she picked up two crooks that resembled her birthmark and slipped them through loops on the skirt which ware designed to hold them. The two crooks had been passed down for many generations, which had come to signify authority among her clan. She carried both of them, meaning that she was the sole power of the house. One day, when she came of age to take a mate, she would pass the smaller of the two to him. They were not simply an item to carry, however, they were also infused with great power that only her blood line could invoke. Looking out the window she knew that it was time for the morning meal, and began to make her way from the second story to the ground floor.

The private dinning room was an informal room at the back of the house. The head of the table faced large wall length windows which covered half the wall. Walking up to the low table in the center of the room Netali sat on one of the pillows on the floor. The meal was brought quickly and Netali began eating slowly thinking about what today would hold. Halfway through eating, she saw someone entering the room from the door at her side. She glanced over to see that it was General Ramsee.

"May I approach, Eminence?" He questioned.

"Yes, come and sit with me." Netali responded.

Ramsee walked up to the table and sat down. After a moment, Netali decided to break the silence. "Did you rest well, Ramsee?"

"Decently, you look as if you didn't rest at all." He responded.

"I did not. The invitations you suggested were sent out last night. The gathering is set for the day of the half moon. I want scouts to watch for lords' approach, I would like a days warning for each of them." Netali informed him.

"I'll make sure you have it." Ramsee responded.

"I'm going to be leaving the mansion shortly after I finish eating." She commented.

"Would you like an escort?" He questioned.

She thought for a moment, the town that she was going to visit today had been heavily attacked by rouge demons. "Yes, chose four that you don't need here."

Ramsee considered her answer for a moment before deciding to speak. "Is there a reason they won't be coming back soon?"

"A couple hours south of here there is a village being attacked by bandits. If I can't take care of the problem in a few hours I'll be leaving them there until it is." She stated.

"You could simply send the solders to the village." Ramsee began to respond.

"I could, but going there myself will raise their loyalty." Netali retorted.

Ramsee allowed a small smile to show, "A wise choice. I would assume you are going to do the same with the others?"

"I am." She stated.

"I should like to send Captain Reu with you so that you are not alone when you return." Ramsee stated.

"So that anyone that hears of it will think me too weak to defend myself? I don't think so." Netali commented and then looked over at him.

"I am glad to see that you do not fall for words easily." Ramsee stated with relief.

"Did you think that I would?" Netali questioned.

"I had to know that you wouldn't. It's my job to make sure you stay safe. If any of the Lord's see any kind of weakness in you, they will rip you apart." Ramsee responded.

"I see you're point." She stated and then paused for a moment. "I need to be heading out soon, how quick can you have the escort prepared?"

"They'll be waiting for you at the front gate in ten minutes." Ramsee stated before standing up and with a quick bow exited the room.

Netali quickly finished her meal and made her way to the war room. Several soldiers were within the room, and all of them dropped to a knee for a moment when she entered into the room. She walked over to a case on the far side of the room, and once it was reached she slide off the shoulder strap and set it on the table next to her and placed the crooks on top of the cloak. She took out two circular metal bands and crossed them over her chest, next she took out two metal pieces and joined them around her waist, which covered her skirt to the mid-thigh. After that she slipped off her sandals and took out shin guards which concealed a set of daggers and clasped them around her calves. She then clasped guards around her forearms before placing the crooks through the loops that were still revealed and sliding her arms back through the shoulder strap. She knelt down and took out a new pair of shoes that protected the bottom of her feet much better then her sandals had. Finally, she picked up a bow and placed it on a hook at her side. With everything complete, Netali exited the room and after picking up the larger of the two crooks and holding it along her forearm she decided to make her way to the front gate.


	3. Chapter 2 Cleaning up the chaos

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Chapter 2 -- Cleaning up the Chaos

As expected, the four soldiers that Ramsee had selected were waiting for her at the front gate, dressed for war. She looked over each of them with much scrutiny, and all four became nervous at her intense gaze. By human standards Netali was only sixteen years old, but she had watched and learned how to keep the people around her in check. With her inspection over, she looked at the gatekeeper and told him to open the gate. Once open, Netali simply began walking out into the open field that laid before the mansion. The four guards took up their places behind her and followed without a word. Since she had no reason to speak to any of the soldiers that traveled with her, Netali used the time to think about what needed to be done. Unfortunately, two hours was a long time to spend with yourself. She thought about her parents, and then about the gathering. Next she thought about the mansion, and about the villages that she was going to visit. The village she was headed to at the moment was nameless due to the fact that not many people lived within the community. The community itself was occupied by humans and held only twenty houses, though with the recent attacks she was sure their numbers had been dropped. Shortly after she had brought to mind all that she knew about the village, which was next to nothing, it dawned on her that they were fast approaching the small community.

Once they were half a mile from the village, she decided to speak, "Fall back from me, and stay at the outskirts once I enter."

She received no response from the soldiers, but knew they would follow her orders. A quarter mile from the village, people could be seen gathering around the edge of town as they approached. The closer they got to the town a man could be seen making his way closer to the approaching group. Once they were standing face to face, the headman, she assumed, decided to speak first.

"What business do you have here?" He questioned.

Netali lifted a brow at the question before responding, "I've come to take care of your bandit troubles. Did you not write to House Hasan of your need of assistance?"

The man's countenance shifted, he went from concerned to excited, "Are you saying that you are the heir of Hasan-sama?"

"I am." She responded.

"We feared that Hasan-sama had no heir, please, Lady Hasan, you are most welcome in this village." The headman stated as he motioned for her to follow him within the village.

"Tell me what you can of these attacks." Netali questioned as they made their way into the village.

"I can tell you that they were demon, and that is all. We received some help from a priestess that wandered into the area, until she was injured that is, perhaps she could tell you more." He responded.

"Take me to her then." She stated.

Netali was lead to a run-down shake at the other edge of the village and told the woman was inside. When she entered she saw a younger woman wearing the normal clothes of a priestess lying on a mat with one leg and one arm wrapped.

"Are you here to get rid of me while I'm weak, demon?" The priestess said with much hate in her voice.

"Why would I do such a thing?" Netali stated as she walked to the side of the priestess and knelt down.

"Demons hate anyone with holy powers, everyone knows that." She stated matter-of-factly.

"You have shown me that you know nothing of the rulers of these lands." Netali stated.

"Hasan-sama is dead, and left no heir. This land has fallen to the rouges, at least until the land is divided among the demon lords." She stated.

"That is where you are wrong. House Hasan has an heir, and you happen to be looking at her." She commented.

The priestess' attitude changed immediately upon hearing who she was talking to. "You've come to help these people even though they're human?" She questioned.

"My village. Whether it is occupied by humans, demons, or even half-breeds, all deserve protection." Netali responded.

"Why is it that you've come to me?" She questioned, now genuinely curious.

"To find what you know of the attackers." She responded.

"Wolf demons, for the most part. Though some that have attacked are human rouges. The last attack by the wolves happened almost a week ago." She answered.

"Do the wolves have a den?" Netali questioned further.

"Yes, in the hills about an hour away from here." She answered.

"I have a proposition for you." Netali commented.

"And that would be?" The priestess questioned.

"Stop your wandering, stay in this village and help them grow. In return, I will provide a place for you to live and return your health to you now." Netali proposed.

The priestess thought for a moment, "I'm not sure how you'll do this, but I'll accept."

Netali reached forward and placed the crook on the priestess forehead, and after a moment the priestess began to glow with divine healing. "I've given you part of your payment, however, I will not be able to stay to see the house built, so I give you the money to have it built instead." She told her and handed her a coin purse that had been concealed beneath her forearm guard.

Netali took no one with her when she went to the wolves' den. She saw the scouts a couple miles from the den and they quickly approached her as she held up her crook for them to see. The den was located in a cave near a river and as she approached the entrance of the cave, two middle-aged males and one barely mature male greeted her. One of the middle-aged males stepped forward as she came to a stop.

"Hasan-sama, I am Hitomi, leader of this pack. How can I serve you?" Hitomi stated, bowing his head as he spoke.

"You can tell me why members of your den have been attacking a village south of here to begin with." Netali commented.

Hitomi glanced back at the two standing behind him, neither of them able to offer any insight, "You are referring to the human village, are you not?" He questioned. When Netali nodded her head, he decided to continue, "I have been under the impression that everyone has been staying away from that village."

"You are obviously mistaken. One of the scents I found in the village is on your person." Netali stated.

"If I may be so bold, how many scents did you find in the village?" Hitomi questioned.

"Three." She answered.

"How long ago did this happen?" He questioned further.

"The last attack happened within the past week." She answered.

"There has been two different groups go out in that time. Could I ask what you will do to them?" He questioned with slight remorse.

"I will be lenient this time, I will allow you to ensure that it will not happen again. In exchange for my leniency you will keep a couple of scouts near the village so that you can take care of any of the human rouges that come to trouble them. If you break either of these, this deal is off and their lives will be forfeit." Netali remarked.

"I'll take that, I'll bring the six of them to you." Hitomi stated, slight relief in his voice.

It didn't take long for the group to be determined, and when Hitomi was told who had been responsible, Netali reminded him to ensure that it would not happen again and took her leave. When she returned to the village she ordered two of the guards to remain in the village and told them of the scouts that would be near. When the headman was told of the arrangements, he was doubly happy. For one, the village had gained a resident priestess, and second they no longer had to fear losing any of their men to the rouges that had bothered the town. Netali and the two remaining guards and returned to the mansion. As soon as the front gates were opened, she was greeted by General Ramsee who followed her into the mansion. After visiting the war room to disarm and remove armor, the two made their way to Netali's study to speak. Once they entered Netali saw all the information stacked on the desk that she had asked Ashina to gather for her. When they had both sat down, General Ramsee decided to break the silence first.

"I hope the trip went well." He stated.

"The problem is taken care of, if not, I know who to talk to. Once a week, I would like you to send a replacement for one of the men stationed at the village. Also, the land believes they have no leader, and rouges have been taking advantage of the lack of leadership. I want you to arrange for soldiers to go to each of the villages so that they can take care of the rouge problems, and so that the people are informed that a ruler lives. I will be going to Negano tomorrow, so who ever you want to go there should be ready to go in the morning." Netali informed him.

"There is a report you should see before going to Negano, my Lady." Ramsee stated, pulling out a rolled up piece of paper from his belt.

Netali looked at the paper for a moment, Negano was close to being attacked. An invasion force had been seen landing at the coast, and Lord Taisho's army had been seen preparing to meet them when the messenger had delivered the invitation to the Lord. According to geography, the battle would take place in the plains that Negano was located in; to meet the army too late would mean losing the city.

"If this is accurate, if we leave any later then mid-day tomorrow, they will be in a position to take the city by the time we confront them." She stated, and then looked at Ramsee for a response.

"Correct, Eminence." He responded.

"Can you have the army ready to move at dawn?" Netali questioned.

"They will be ready to move at dusk today." He stated.

"Good, dusk it is then." She responded.

"As far as sending soldiers to each of the villages, I have already taken them into account and they are waiting for your approval to leave out." Ramsee volunteered.

"Send them out then, General. I'll be at the forge if you have need of me." Netali stated.

Both of them stood up, and began to leave the room. Ramsee made his way to the front doors, and Netali made her way to her quarters. After removing the shoulder strap and placing it in its original place, Netali picked up the cloth containing the pieces of her father's broken sword and made her way to the forge near the barracks. Once she arrived she checked the forge's temperature and found it hot enough to begin her work. She carefully tapped of the hilt of the sword and laid it to the side, and then began the tedious process of heating each of the metal pieces so that they could be tapped back into place and made into one piece. The very tip of what remained of the sword was heated until it glowed red. She then held the next piece of the blade with tongs and held it over the fire until it too was glowing. She placed the two pieces of metal on the anvil and began tapping the smaller piece towards the larger, recombining them. Once they were one piece again, it was dipped in water and reheated, then the process began over again until all the fragments had been rejoined the blade.

Netali paused for a moment to wipe the sweat from her face, and then turned to fire up the forge again, which had cooled considerably during the hour it had taken to join the pieces. Once it was the correct temperature, Netali set the blade within the coals for entire blade to be heated up, so that she could begin tempering the sword. Once the entire blade was glowing, she began tempering the blade smooth and reshaping the metal. Another hour passed and the tempering was complete, all that was left was to let it cool and then take it to the sharpening wheel. As the blade cooled, Netali walked over to the water trough and picked up the cup that was used to cool blades. Instead of pouring the water over the blade, Netali poured it over her head so that she could cool off. As she wiped the water from her face, she heard a chuckle behind her and then a voice.

"Warm work, isn't it." He said.

"Very." She commented and then turned around.

As she turned around, the expression on the man's face turned from amusement to horror and he quickly dropped to a knee, "I apologies for my lack of respect, Eminence, I was unaware that it was you."

"It's quite alright, Captain." Netali stated. The man kneeling in the floor was Captain Reutenma. Who was a dragon breed of demon, and was highly respected by General Ramsee. "What's wrong with the blade?" She questioned.

It took the Captain a moment to respond, totally forgetting why he had come to the forge in the first place, "One of the soldiers beneath me cracked it earlier today. Since there is a shortage of blades, it needs to be fixed before we leave." The captain answered.

"Why is there a shortage?" She questioned.

"There's only one blacksmith on the premises. General Ramsee said earlier that another would have to be found, so when I heard someone in here…" He answered, cutting himself short.

"It's alright Captain, it is not common for nobility to have smithing skills. Your assumption is not unwarranted." Netali told him. "Give me the blade."

The captain quickly stood and made his way across the room, handing the blade to her. She looked over it for a moment and saw that the damage was minor, no gaps needed to be filled. It simply needed to be reheated and tempered. Netali stood up and placed the majority of the blade within the coals so that it could begin heating.

"Turn the blade every few minutes and keep a check on the crack, inform me when the line is no longer visible." She instructed him and then turned to her own blade and sat down at the sharpening wheel.

She began sharpening the curved part of the blade that was the later half of the four-foot sword. The curve would have to be sharpened on both sides, as was usual for this type of blade. The captain watched intently as he stood by the forge, turning the blade when needed. The top half of the curve was sharpened by the time he told her the crack was gone. Netali stood and moved to the forge to check for herself.

"Well done." She remarked casually, as she saw the blade had completed heating.

Within a few minutes, the blade had been tempered and was set aside to cool. Netali finished sharpening what had been her father's sword, and then she took her new sword and tapped the handle back into place, making it once again a combat ready blade. She then turned to touching up the edge on the blade she had just completed. When finished, she handed the blade to the captain, who said his thanks and left the forge. With this complete, Netali decided to return to her quarters for a quick bath, and then turned to the case within her room that held her battle armor. All of the pieces were the same, except that she wore pants with this outfit instead of a skirt, and she wore no shoulder strap. The armor was much more decorated and the chest pieces covered much more of her then the pieces she had worn earlier that day. She added a harness that crossed her back to the outfit this time as well, to hold the blade that had just been reforged. By the time she was dressed, the evening meal was ready and she quickly ate seeing that dusk was fast approaching. When Netali entered the courtyard, she saw all three of her generals waiting to follow her out of the gates. Once the gates were opened the four of them were greeted by a great shout from the army. Netali took out the crooks and crossed them over each other and held them above her head, causing another cheer to come from the soldiers.

She and the three generals made their way to the front of the group and within a few minutes the army was on the move. Luckily, the moon was bright and gave more then enough for the above human eyes of all that traveled. Netali took the time to think about everything that had happened the past few days. She had been at her uncle's estate in their homeland when she had received word of her parent's passing. She was thankful for the fact that her little sister was still with her uncle. She wondered why her parents had sent Cleo to be with their uncle as well. Had they known that something would happen to them? Netali herself had been sent to her uncles so that she could learn from him; unfortunately, she had been gone for over three decades, which lead everyone to believe that their infant daughter was the only heir. Cleo had more then likely been sent away from the mansion during the night so that they would not be followed, and everyone had taken it as she had died as well when her parents had been killed. Netali had decided that she would wait a few years before sending for Cleo, and that would allow her to secure her leadership throughout the lands and stand up to the other lords.

Netali turned her thoughts to the gathering that would be in six and a half days now. She needed to get this invasion over with quickly so that they all could return to the mansion and prepare for their coming. She still needed to look over the papers that Ashina had set out for her. She wondered why her family had never had much to do with the other lords. Her family had possessed land in this territory now for several centuries. Netali was taken out of her thoughts rather abruptly when a scent caught her nose. It came from ahead of them, and as she focused her eyes to look over the distance, she saw that they were approaching Negano. She instructed Ramsee to follow her and the other two generals were to take the army ahead. She knew that the sound of the armies approach would wake people within the town and she wished for them to know what was going on around them. The headman was waiting for them when they approached the village, and after a few minute conversation, Netali and Ramsee rejoined the army a few miles ahead of the town. Nearly an hour passed before it was decided that they would stop and rest for the remainder of the night. The fight could begin as early as dawn.


	4. Chapter 3 Beginning of conflicts

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Chapter 3 -- Beginning of conflicts

Netali woke from her nap to the sound of a howl. A scout had spotted something. Within a few minutes the scouts were reporting that both groups could be seen. Lord Taisho had not brought many with him, only about twenty, while Netali had brought closer to fifty. Shortly after, the army was up and ready to go. They made their way to the groups, and there was little time to react when they came within sight of the two groups. They had already engaged each other and Lord Taisho was outnumbered enough that they had been almost completely surrounded. After a second of consideration, she told General Ramsee that they would hit them at the side to push them away from the smaller group. Netali unhooked her bow from her side and moved her quiver into position at her waist.

When they were close enough to the group for Netali to loose, she pulled three arrows and held the bow sideways. The arrows glowed with a silver-gray energy and when they contacted the group all within five feet of where each arrow had hit was destroyed. The attackers quickly turned their attention to the new group and many of their numbers broke off. It didn't take long for Netali to be surrounded by foes, but instead of thinking of her lack of protection she focused on getting into the small circle that was beginning to lose ground. Just as she entered the small circle, a spear pierced through her shoulder and the impact knocked her to the ground. She reached over to grip the spear in order to pull it out. She pulled at the spear and knew that she didn't have the strength to pull it out herself.

A moment passed and she saw someone step over her, so that one of his feet was on either side of her. All that Netali could see was that he had long silver hair and wore dominantly white clothing. He blocked an attack that was directed towards her, and with his back still turned he reached behind him to grip the spear. With no warning, he pulled the spear out and spun it around so that it was poised above his shoulder. When he threw the spear the same grayed energy wrapped around it and as before, when it contacted someone, all within five feet of it was instantly destroyed. The man turned back towards her, a hint of surprise still in his yellow eyes, and with a quick nod he sidestepped. Netali took the cue and rolled so that she could stand. Quickly, she hooked her bow to her side, not able to use it with her shoulder hurt, and removed her sword from the harness on her back. At this time, Netali was thankful for all of the time she spent at the forge, due to the fact that she had a lot more strength in her arms then she would have had any other way. The blade was oddly shaped for the region, the first foot of the blade was straight it then curved out as a crescent, both sides of the crescent sharp. Because of the odd nature of the blade, her opponents had no idea how to defend against the heavy sword. Most that tried to block it found their sword shattered against the more powerful blade. Netali didn't know how much time passed or how many people they had fought against, but the sun told her that a couple hours had passed by the time the attackers had been dealt with.

Netali looked over the field and as she turned to look at her own men, she was hit with a wave of dizziness and a sharp pain in her shoulder. It was at this time that she noticed an odd sour smell. She took her hand and wiped some of the blood from the wound, which oddly enough was still bleeding. While she analyzed the smell coming from the wound, she felt one of her knees give out and she dropped to a knee.

"Hasan-sama!" Ramsee shouted, a short distance away.

Within a moment, he was knelt in front of her. Netali held out her hand and spoke, "Dog poison."

Her energy spent, Netali began to feel herself fade, and knew she was falling over. Weather she hit the ground or not, she never knew. In her unconscious state, she did not know that Ramsee had caught her and lifted her from the ground. The man that had pulled the spear from her shoulder told Ramsee to follow him, and soon they were at a small encampment. The man knew the poisoned blade had been meant for him and he silently cursed for letting it pass him by him. Ramsee quickly unhooked the bow from her side and set it on the floor, and unlatched the harness that held her sword. It took only a couple minutes longer to take off the armor, but was very mindful not to touch the crooks as he removed the waist armor.

"I need a cloth." Ramsee asked the man.

When the man pointed to a table nearby he moved towards it to retrieve the cloth. Cloth in hand he returned to Netali and removed the crooks from their loop. The man looked at Ramsee with question as he handled the items so carefully.

"It's not a pretty sight when a non-Hasan touches the crooks." He informed him.

"Ramsee, the men are asking of her condition." One of the generals questioned from the doorway.

"Tell them…" Ramsee began, not sure what to say.

After a moment of silence, the man decided to speak. "Tell them her blood loss has caused her to sleep so that she can recover." The general looked to Ramsee who nodded in agreement, causing the man to leave.

"Thank you, Taisho-sama." Ramsee stated with a nod.

"It is doubtful that she will recover from that poison." Taisho-sama stated after a moment of silence.

"She's been given immunities from a very young age, she can beat it." Ramsee responded with confidence.

Ramsee heard someone enter the tent and saw that they had brought water and a rag so that the wound could be cleaned. Once they had left, Ramsee picked up the larger crook with the rag and touched it to the water. It lightly began to glow with the silver-gray energy that had been seen around here many times now. He sat down next to her on the mat and began to clean the blood off of her, the blood purified as the water touched it.

"One so young should never have been on the battlefield." Taisho-sama stated.

"You of all people should understand that she had to be here, regardless of gender, age, or experience." Ramsee stated before returning to his task.

"Do you really believe that she will be able to stand up to the other lords?" He questioned.

"She might be young, but she is wise. She may not be fully mature, but even now she has strength. She may not have experience of her own, but she has the experience of her predecessors to follow. So, yes, Taisho-sama, it is her birthright and she will hold what is hers against all of you." Ramsee stated without even turning to look at him.

Once the blood had been removed from her, he lightly soaked the cloth and allowed the water to drip onto the wound. As soon as the water touched, the poison began to come to the surface and the wound began to bubble green. Ramsee gently dabbed the poison away until it no longer bubbled to the surface. Having done everything he could do, he knew he needed to go to the other generals. Once again, he picked up the crook with a cloth and laid it across her chest, and then picked up her hand and wrapped it around the crook.

"I will return as soon as I can." Ramsee stated, and when Taisho-sama nodded, he left the room.

Taisho looked at the bowl of water Ramsee had used, and out of curiosity he dipped his hand into it and saw a scratch disappear. He then looked over at the crook, wondering how it could have such power. As he gazed at the crook, he saw her shiver slightly. He stood up and walked over to a chest across the tent from her and took out a blanket. Walking back over to her, he opened the blanket and covered her mindful not to touch the crook or to cover her wounded shoulder. He then sat down on the mat and looked at her for a moment.

"Your general believes me to be your enemy." He stated, as if she could hear him. He smiled inwardly; speaking to an unconscious person was against logic. However odd, he thought of this girl as an equal, and it had been a long time since he'd had an equal to talk to. Against his logic, he decided to continue speaking, "You'll have an easier time against the lords then you think. Show them that you cannot be intimidated and they will leave you be." He paused for a moment, as if to let the information sink in. "Since you're female, they all will be too curious to see how well you will do to think maliciously of you. Only Bunto will cause you problems, and the rest of us can take care of him." He paused again before speaking further. "Rest well, Hasan, and if your general proves correct, I will see you awake in a week."

Taisho stood up and began to leave the tent. He glanced back before exiting, trying to decide weather it was her age or her gender that made him feel as if he needed to protect her. Unsure of an answer, he decided he would come to a conclusion when he met her again. It didn't take long for Ramsee to return to Taisho's encampment. The two of them spoke on weather it would be better for her to rest here, or for her to be taken back to her mansion. They decided that the group would head back to the estate around dark, so that when she woke she would be back in the comfort of her own house.

Netali woke close to mid-day at the mansion. She thought about what had happened and remembered why she had passed out. Strangely, she'd heard a voice in her dream, but couldn't remember anything that they had said, or who the voice belonged to. She pulled back the blanket to look at her wound. Even though it was mostly healed, she was sore all over, very tired, and very cold. It took her a few minutes, but she managed to make her way to the wardrobe and pulled out a dress to change into. The dress was white, and extended down to the floor. The top of the dress had no sleeves and nothing to cover the shoulders, a band that clasped behind the neck held it up. Being satisfied with her current clothing, Netali pulled her hair back and decided to go to the study. The guards throughout the house looked at her a bit differently as she made her way through the house. She knew that going into battle had been her only choice. The soldiers had no respect for her because they had never seen her fight. A leader that did not go into battle with their army was never respected. She saw the stacks of paper that Ashina had lain out for her as well as several others. Ashina herself was within the room cleaning and gasped with surprise when she had entered.

"My Lady, you're awake! Is there anything I can get for you?" She questioned.

"Tea." Netali answered, and Ashina quickly bowed and left the room.

It was now time for her to look through the papers on each of the lords to find what she could about her upcoming guests. The first stack of papers concerned Lord Hinotetori. _"Lord of the east, a fire bird or phoenix which ever term you chose; red hair with black streaks, red eyes, 600 years old, I wonder if that's old for a phoenix? Non-aggression papers, trade agreement, trade agreement, scout reports of military movements. Nothing of very much use. Next set, Lord Kumori, Lord of the Northeast, shadow demon? Have to see what I can find out about that. Black hair, black eyes, age unknown, wow is that surprising or what? Trespass notice, no aggression or non-aggression papers, no trading, scout reports alone. That was a waist of time."_

Ashina reentering the room brought Netali out of her reading and speaking to herself. Once the tea was set down, Ashina went back to her cleaning, and Netali went back to reading. _"Lord Nakamura, Lord of the north, elemental. Blue/green hair, water elemental, green eyes, 830 years old, wow. Scout reports. I wonder if there's a reason my father never interacted with any of them… Lord Bunto, Lord of the south, Snake. Black/green hair, yellow eyes, 550 years old. Oh, I can see problems now. Trespass notices, aggression papers, border skirmishes. Lord Itou, Lord of the northwest, wolf. Not so bad. Brown hair, brown eyes, 300 years old. Lord Taisho, Lord of the west, dog. White hair, yellow eyes… wait a minute…" _Netali had a flashback of the man she'd seen on the battlefield, the one that had taken the spear out of her shoulder. _"200 years old… That was Lord Taisho. Non-aggression papers, land exchanges, trades agreements. My father had a lot to do with him, no, his father. He just came into power… twenty years ago."_ Netali mulled over all the information she had read over, and decided that she knew everything that the papers would teach her.

"Ashina," Netali called, drawing the woman's attention immediately. "Please inform the kitchen that I would like the evening meal soon."

"It will be done." She stated and left on her errand.

After putting away all the papers she had taken out, Netali decided to go down to the dining room. When she arrived she simply looked out the windows for a while. One of the kitchen staff brought out tea and set the tray to the side of the table. Soon dinner was brought out, and Netali finished the meal quickly. Netali sat in the dinning room until it was near sunset, even though she had slept for a while she still felt tired. She knew that it was very hard on you when you recovered from poison. Her immunities had been built slowly, but there had been enough poison in her system that she knew the common effects of it. She decided to go to her room and take a bath before going to sleep. She felt as if tomorrow was going to be a very long day and she knew that she would need her rest.

When Netali awoke the next morning, she felt much better then she had the day before. She was still cold however, so she decided to wear a dress similar to the one she had worn yesterday, only this one was light gray in color. She drank her tea out on the balcony as she normally did, and soon made her way to the dinning room. Once she had finished eating, Netali made her way up to the study; she had some talking to do with Ashina. A few minutes after she had entered the study, the guard outside came in and informed her that General Ramsee was here to see her. When Ramsee entered, he bowed as usual and then made his way to sit at near the desk.

"I should first inform you that you were asleep for nearly a day and a half, which means, in four days the lords will be arriving. Scouts are in place to watch for their coming, and you will be informed at least a couple hours before they arrive." Ramsee stopped for a moment before continuing, "With all that said, how do you feel?"

"Sore, mainly. What happened after I blacked out?" Netali questioned.

"Taisho-sama lead me to his encampment so that I could dress your wound. Once we saw to all the soldiers, it was his opinion that we not wait for you to wake. It was nearly dark by the time we left to come back to the mansion. Taisho-sama wished for me to extend his thanks to you for your assistance as well, and he regretted the fight taking place on your lands. He described to me that the enemy was an old foe of his fathers, at the time they fought before, the land belonged to House Taisho." Ramsee responded.

"That would explain why he crossed into our lands to fight them, and why he sees it as we helped him instead of the other way. Tell me Ramsee, what can you tell me of the lords? I've read through all the paperwork that contains them, so is there anything that you can add to it?" Netali questioned further.

"I do know that your father and the late Taisho-sama wrote back and forth quite a bit, and that he went to House Taisho shortly after his passing. Other then that, the house has not dealt with the other lords much." Ramsee answered.

Knowing that she would get little else from Ramsee, he was dismissed, and Netali quickly sent for Ashina. The next couple hours were spent learning everything within the study, the locations of maps, the law books, correspondences with the villages, and scout reports. Netali's main concern was the villages. There were so many administrative problems with them that she knew that it would take some time for everything to be straightened out. After thinking for a while she decided that since soldiers were being sent to assess threats to the lands right now, she would use their presence to her benefit. She wrote out a paper of everything she wished to know about each of the villages; the name, how many people there were according to gender and age, how many people were trained in the different trades, as well as supplies and demands. With the paper finished, she put Ashina to work transcribing the paper, and once she had finished quite a few she was sent to give them to general Ramsee to give to the soldiers when they were to be sent out. Once all of that was complete, and Netali had filed away all of the paperwork that had come in the past few days, she decided that she needed to rest and retired to her room for the remainder of the evening.


	5. Chapter 4 The Lords Arrival

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Chapter 4 -- The lords' arrival

Morning began as it always did, and Netali quickly made her way to the study, to pick up where she had left off the day before. She spent a lot of time looking over the maps of the region, she wished to know where every village was located, and would soon have names to put with each of them. Once she was comfortable with her knowledge of the villages, she turned to the desk to see what papers demanded her attention. All on the desk were typical reports, except a letter at the bottom of the stack. Netali opened the letter and began to read.

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"Hasan-sama, I am most pleased to inform you that my new home has been completed. As you promised, the wolves have not attacked the village again. Quite opposite, actually, the wolves have begun to help us with the bandits that are still attacking, just as you said they would. They have given us considerable aid, but since they are such a small den they have not been able to take care of the problem completely. We have the ability to continue this way for some time, but I do not believe the problem will go away.

Your humble servant, Miko Kimi"

This news disturbed Netali greatly. The three soldiers that had been added to them along with the wolf den were proving too little to take care of the problem. She thought for a while about what could be done to solve the problem once and for all. With a solution in mind, Netali made her way out of the mansion and to a building along the side of the estate wall, knowing that the generals would more then likely be together in their planning room within the barracks. As expected, when Netali entered the room, all three of the generals were sitting around a somewhat small table talking. When she entered the room, they all stood up and with a quick wave of her hand she motioned for them all to sit down.

"Is there something wrong, Hasan-sama?" Ramsee asked, showing a bit of concern.

"Is my presence that unusual, Ramsee?" Netali questioned in return.

"I cannot think of a reason that you would come here to us, instead of calling us to you, unless something was quite wrong." Ramsee answered.

"Yes, there is a problem, however it is not a critical issue. I needed to move around and I know all three of you are in this room until halfway through the morning so I decided to come here." Netali elaborated.

"What is the problem?" Ramsee questioned.

"The town I visited a few days ago is still having bandit problems. I want the three of you to give me the name of a Captain that can be responsible enough to take a group there to discover the problem and handle the situation." Netali instructed.

The three generals looked at each other, considering whose name they would give. Finally, Ramsee broke the silence, "Reutenma can handle it."

Netali stood up as she began to speak, "I want him sent to my study as soon as possible."

"It will be done, Hasan-sama." Ramsee stated as she made her way out of the room.

Once Netali returned to the study, she began filing away all of the papers that she had already looked over and within the hour, Reutenma came into the study. When he first came into the room he was on edge, unsure why he had been called into the study. Normally the generals dealt directly with the leaders of the home, in this respect, it was quite unusual for him to be entering the room unless he had personally done something very wrong. Netali explained the situation to him and ended with questioning him weather or not he could find the problem and take care of it without being told what limitations to use. He seemed confident that he could handle the situation alone. Netali respected his honesty; she didn't want to deal with anyone too arrogant. In the end, Netali told him to choose four men to take with him and instructed that he should leave as soon as possible.

After Reutenma had left the room, Netali decided to do something that she had not done in years. Leaving the study, she made her way across the house. She walked down the dark hallway and once she reached the apparent dead-end she took out the larger crook at her side and tapped the wall. The entire stone slab began to shimmer with white and within the middle of the stone, a door appeared. She pushed the door open and once she was inside the room, the door shut itself. Though she could see the door from the inside, to anyone that stumbled upon this hall, they would see nothing besides a carved piece of stone. Netali held the crook out straight and with a minor incantation the braziers within the room began to burn. A small palate was made within the center of the room with a three-foot mirror facing it. Netali sat down on the palate and gazed into the mirror. She closed her eyes and focused all of her energy on the mirror. When she opened her eyes a few minutes later, she posed a question to the mirror.

"Show me what is most important for me to know." Was her question.

Gray clouds appeared in the mirror and began to swirl, considering her question. As the clouds began to fade away she saw Taisho-sama sitting with a woman in a room she did not recognize. Taisho-sama held out the invitation to the woman he was sitting with and began to speak.

"Explain this to me, if you can, mother." He questioned.

She looked at the invitation for a moment before looking over at him, "It is their custom to send out such an invitation. Luminos-sama did the same thing when he came into power, but I believe he only sent them to those he shared a border with. Your father and I are the only ones that responded to that invitation. What do you intend to do, my son?"

"You do not believe that any of the others will respond?" Taisho-sama questioned.

"Last time, everyone was concerned that it was some attempt on their life, but since she is sending one out just as he had, I believe they will be more relaxed this time. Only the north lord will not know what to think of it, so he may not go. That doesn't answer my question." She stated.

"Do you believe I should go?" He counter questioned.

"We have had good relations with their lands, their culture may be different then ours, but they are very intelligent. I think you would do well to know more about her. You do know that she could have turned on you a couple days ago for crossing into her land without notice; however, she didn't. Instead she helped you." She answered.

"That is something else I have avoided telling you. She took a spear that was poisoned for me. Her general tended the wound, and I had a chance to speak with him some. He views me as an enemy." He stated.

"It's the general's job to protect the family, have you given him a reason not to view you as an enemy?" She questioned.

"No, not really, but that's not what troubles me." Taisho commented.

"What is it then?" His mother questioned.

"When I first saw her I couldn't help but think she was too young for the job. If the other lords DO respond, I do not know how they will react. She's barely an adult, and I think they will use it against her to try to intimidate her." Taisho stated and paused for a moment.

"I know that my view is personal, but here it is anyway. I knew her parents, and I liked them both. I would like very much if you invited her here so that I can meet the girl, but that's beside the point. The point is she may surprise you. I know the Hasan family quiet well, and I know that age isn't going to mean a thing when it comes to her dealing with the other lords." She stated.

"I will consider what you've said." Taisho stated as he stood up and began to leave the room, "Also, if you would like to meet her so much, perhaps you should go with me, if I decide to go."

"Thank you, my son." she stated.

As Taisho left the room, the mirror began to swirl gray again, and Netali knew that the mirror had shown all that it would for the time being. Her energy was spent and all she could do was lay down on the palate to rest for a while. When Netali awoke from her nap she made her way out of the room and back to the study. As she passed a few windows she noticed that several hours had passed since she had entered the room, and that it was only a couple hours until dark. Once she entered the study, she saw Ramsee sitting inside. She could see the concern in his eyes when he stood up and saw her.

"It's alright Ramsee, I went to consult the oracle mirror." She stated and motioned for him to sit down.

"I would assume that it responded since you were gone for so long?" Ramsee questioned.

"It did, and I'll wager that I'm going to have to speak with it quite often if I'm going to figure out what's going on." Netali stated.

"What do you mean?" Ramsee asked.

"Too many things around here aren't adding up to me. The information on the other lords, the lack of paperwork regarding the villages, many other thing." Netali stated.

"I cannot help you if you don't give me any more information then that, eminence." Ramsee responded.

"I didn't ask for help, yet. I'll let you know more as I piece it together. As of right now, I believe I'm going to go eat and then retire. The mirror took a lot out of me, and I fear I have a busy day tomorrow." Netali stated and then stood up again.

The rest of the evening passed by with little event, Netali pondered what the mirror had shown her and had gathered a little more information. The Lady Taisho knew her parents; perhaps she would be able to fill in some gaps as to why her parents had not dealt much with the other lords, but then again, since they had not responded to their invitation that in itself would explain why they were not very friendly with them. She could tell that Taisho had wanted to say a lot more then he had while talking with his mother, but she knew that it was not her concern or the mirror would have shown her.

As Netali had suspected, the next day was very hectic for her. She had to make sure all of the common rooms that would be used for the lord's visit were prepared as well as the rooms that they would be staying in. With her new information, she also had to have Taisho-sama's room changed so that there would be room for his mother, since she would be coming with him. Once all of those details had been taken care of, Netali decided to find Ramsee and challenge him to a spar, something she had not done since she had come back home. The spar went decent; Netali knew that her strength was not what it normally was, mainly because she would still have sharp pains in her shoulder. By the end of the evening, all scouts had reported that the lords would be here shortly after the morning meal.

Morning began sooner then it normally did, Netali knew that she had much to do in a very short period of time. The greeting hall had been prepared the day before, but there were still minor things to do within the room. Netali herself needed to get dressed more formally then she had since she had arrived home and she knew that it would take her some extra time to get ready. She wore the same style dress as she had a couple times, and while the exposed shoulders of the dress showed her wound, which had turned into a scar, she knew that her shoulder strap and cloak would cover it. The white dress was trimmed with a gold colored material, and a belt of the same material tied around the waist, covering most of the metal belt that she wore to hold the crooks. Bracelets attached around the middle of her bicep and white cloth attached to the bottom of them making the illusion of a long sleeve. The shoulder strap that she chose was much more elaborate then she had worn before, seeing as what you could see of it was made of gold, and the rings that attached to the white cloak were golden as well. She took the lock of hair above her ears and pulled them straight back to her crown and clipped them together, pulling all of her hair away from her face. Putting on more decorative sandals, Netali decided that she was ready to begin her morning meal.

Her meal went quickly and just as she begun to leave the room, a messenger came into the room to inform her that the lords were about to arrive. It seemed to her that they all would be here within a matter of half an hour. As Netali entered the greeting hall, Ramsee walked up to her and told her that he would introduce each of the lords as they entered, seeing as he knew all of them by sight. With this said, he walked several feet in front of her and stood off to the side. As Netali focused her eyes on the closed door she erased all emotion from her eyes and toned down the energy she was radiating. The doors opened, and Netali's eyes almost widened as she saw not one person standing at the door but four. It seemed as if several of them had gathered together before entering the house. As the first approached, Ramsee announced them.

"I beg to put before you, Nakamura-sama, Lord of the northern lands." Ramsee stated with a bow. Nakamura wore a pale blue haori with dark blue hakamas and carried two sheathed swords at his side, one slightly smaller then the other. As Nakamura reached speaking distance he nodded his head slightly and spoke, "Hasan-sama, I thank you for your invitation."

"Nakamura-sama, I am most pleased that you have come." Netali stated with a nod of her own.

Nakamura took a step back and walked to the side as the next person began walking in. "I beg to put before you, Hinotetori-sama, Lord of the east." Ramsee stated. Hinotetori wore a dark red kimono with black flames along the sleeves and carried no weapons that could be seen. Once he was within speaking distance, he nodded and spoke with a slight smile, "Hasan-sama, I am most grateful for your kind invitation."

"Hinotetori-sama, I am grateful that you have accepted the invitation." She replied with her own nod and smile.

"I beg to put before you, Bunto-sama, Lord of the south." Ramsee called out as the next guest made their way into the room. As before Hinotetori stepped out of the way as Ramsee began to speak. Bunto wore dark green haori and hakamas and carried one sheathed sword. He did not walk up as close as the two before him had, his eyes held no niceties in them and when he stopped, he nodded less politely then the others had. He began to simply step to the side instead of speaking any kind of greeting.

"Bunto-sama," Netali began, halting his movements, "I am glad you accepted my invitation." She finished.

The glare in Bunto's eyes seemed to soften, as if he had expected some other greeting, "I am glad to have received your invitation, Hasan-sama." He stated with a nod, and proceeded to step to the side.

"I beg to put before you, Kumori-sama, Lord of the north-east." Ramsee announced. It occurred to Netali at this moment that all the lords were walking into the hall according to her age; she filed the information away to see what she could find out about it later. Kumori wore a black haori with black hakamas and wore a leather harness beneath his haori that undoubtedly carried daggers. As Kumori came to speaking distance, he nodded and began to speak, "Hasan-sama, I am pleased to have the opportunity to greet you."

"Kumori-sama, I thank you for accepting my invitation." Netali stated with a nod and slight smile.

"I beg to put before you, Itou-sama, Lord of north-west." Ramsee stated as Kumori stepped to the side. Itou wore a light brown colored haori with a dark brown pair of hakamas and wore a sword across his back. Netali noticed immediately that he carried himself with quite a bit of arrogance, something the others had not done. He nodded slightly as he paused in front of her and spoke, "I thank you for your invitation, Hasan-sama."

"I am most pleased that you chose to accept, Itou-sama." Netali responded.

"I beg to put before you, Taisho-sama, Lord of the west, accompanied by the Lady mother Relina-sama." Ramsee called out. Taisho wore a white haori with a red pattern on one side of the shoulders with white hakamas that were cuffed tight at the ankles, and carried one sheathed sword. Relina walked slightly behind Taisho and wore a white kimono with cherry blossoms on it. They both paused within speaking distance, and Taisho was the first to speak, "Hasan-sama, I am most pleased to have received your invitation." He stated with a nod.

"Taisho-sama, I am grateful that you have accepted my invitation." Netali responded with a nod.

Taisho then stepped back and his mother stepped forward, "Hasan-sama, I am honored to meet you." She stated, and much to Netali's surprise she stretched her arms out with her hands palm up.

Containing any outward reaction to the familiar action, Netali spoke, "Relina-sama, I am grateful for your presence." Once she had finished speaking, Netali reached out and took the woman's arms with her own, grasping them at the forearm, and once the grasp was complete Relina lowered her head slightly and bent her knees about an inch. A moment passed and Relina stood back up and Netali released her arms and took her step back and looked over the group as a whole while she spoke again, "Since everyone is here, I should like to invite you to join me in a less formal setting." With all in the group nodding their approval, Netali turned around to walk out of the greeting hall and made her way to the sitting room that had been prepared for them.


	6. Chapter 5 The Meetings Begin

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Chapter 5 -- The meetings begin

Everyone followed Netali into the sitting room and was lead to a large round table surrounded by pillows. She stood off to the side and a handmaid made her way over to Netali and assisted her in taking off her shoulder strap. Hinotetori was the first to notice the difference in her size once the strap was taken off and decided to break the silence.

"Hasan-sama, why do you wear such a thing?" He questioned, motioning to the strap and cloak.

Netali made her way to the table and sat down before speaking, "The shoulder straps began to cover when someone would wear armor and weapons, over time they simply became ceremonial."

"Why would you hide your weapons and armor?" Nakamura questioned.

"When it was commonly done, it was because the person did not know weather they were facing a friend or a foe." Netali elaborated. "Back then, men wore them for that purpose. Women wear them to make themselves appear larger so that they cannot be distinguished from men at a distance. In a case such as today, they are worn simply because it is a formal setting."

The room was silent for a moment while everyone took in the information that they had been given, much to Netali's surprise, it was Bunto that decided to question next.

"I mean you no disrespect, Hasan-sama, but shouldn't your family's title gone to a steward until you reached accountability?" He questioned.

Everyone around the table didn't know how to react to the bluntness of his question, Netali however took it in stride, "Before I answer that, I should tell all of you that the point of this gathering is so that you may know the difference between my parents and I, as well as giving me chance to become more familiar with any agreements between this house and all of you. Now, to answer your question, Bunto-sama. It is more then acceptable that I have taken over my parents' place, instead of the title being put into trust. I reached accountability over ten years ago."

A moment passed before Kumori decided to speak, "I believe I speak for all of us when I say that seems quite young to take on a title." Everyone around the table nodded slightly at the comment.

Netali only smiled slightly, "I may be young, but it has been nearly sixty years since I began studying administration and battle. Under the tutelage of my uncle I have become practiced in both over the past twenty years."

A moment passed and Taisho decided to speak, "I can vouch for the fact that her knowledge in either swordsmanship or tactics are not in any way lacking."

"With all due respect, I was told that you fell due to injury after the battle." Itou commented.

"Am I to assume that you have never been injured in battle?" Netali countered.

"Most would last more then five minutes before becoming injured." He retorted arrogantly.

"Most would fail pulling off breaking an enemies circle around a second force, and most would not live longer then five minutes after being injured with a blade that had a lethal dose of poison intended for their breed and yet she fought for nearly two hours after the fact and she merely blacked out." Taisho stated calmly.

"I have trouble believing that it was a lethal dose of poison if she was able to continue the fight." Itou countered.

"Think what you will, I know what happened, I was there." Taisho responded, and waited for him to speak.

Netali couldn't help but look back and forth at the two while they politely argued with each other, and once Taisho had stopped talking, she looked at Relina in hopes that she would break the conversation. She immediately understood the look and cut Itou off before he could speak again, "Hasan-sama, you said that you would like the chance to overlook the agreements between all of the houses. Exactly how would you like to do this?"

"I have already gathered all the information I can, all I need is the chance to speak with each of the lords privately in order to affirm all of it. If anyone is not able to stay at this time, you are more then welcome to return at a later date to overlook the information with me." Netali answered.

"Not to sound rude, but I do not believe I will be able to stay for the duration at this time, I have a pressing matter that needs to be attended to." Bunto stated shortly after Netali had spoken.

"If everyone else has the time, I should like to speak with Bunto-sama first so that he can get back to the matter at hand. I believe it would only take a short time, Bunto-sama." Netali countered.

No one at the table objected to Netali speaking with Bunto first. She believed that the rest of them were curious to learn more about her ways. With the matter settled, Netali excused Bunto and herself and made her way to the study. Once they entered, Netali wasted no time getting out any papers concerning him. "Bunto-sama, if I may speak candidly," She began with a nod, and once he returned it she continued. "I am aware of the fact that there has been much hostility between our lands for quite a few years, and I personally would like to see it end."

"I should like that as well." He stated, and paused to give her a chance to continue.

"Could you tell me why there is so much hostility between our houses?" Netali questioned.

Bunto paused for a moment, no doubt trying to recall how the hostility had begun, and after a moment he began to speak. "If I remember correctly, your parents sent an emissary to my estate. The envoy was attacked and killed by rouges, and because it happened on my lands it was viewed to be my fault. Everything seemed to go downhill from there."

"I see. Let me ask another question. Did you respond to the invitation my father sent you when he came to power?" Netali questioned.

"No, I did not, because of the oddness of the invitation. It is not like any custom we have in these lands, and it seemed like a trap to us. None besides the late Taisho responded." Bunto answered.

"I hope with all that's been said today that you can see how that in itself seemed hostile to my parents." Netali commented and Bunto nodded his agreement to the statement. "If I may be so bold, your land still has trouble with rouges, and that is why you cannot stay here for long, is it not?"

"How could you know that?" Bunto questioned.

"One of my southern villages is having quite a bit of trouble with rouges attacking, it seemed logical that your northern lands would have the same troubles." Netali explained.

"You are correct, that is why I cannot stay. The trouble is not in one village alone however. It started only a few weeks ago, so I have not been able to gather much information on the matter. If you happen to find any information as to where they're coming from I would be most grateful to receive it." Bunto stated.

"Likewise, where they're coming from needs to be determined as quickly as possible." Netali returned. "I will hold you no longer, Bunto-sama." Netali commented before standing up.

Bunto rose from his chair as well pausing as Netali made her way around the desk, and began to follow her out of the study and to the front of the house. Before leaving the mansion, Bunto turned to face Netali one last time, "You have handled yourself well, Hasan-sama. I look forward to dealing with your house in a more peaceful manner then has happened in the past."

"Thank you, Bunto-sama. I wish you well on your journey home." Netali returned.

Once Bunto had left the estate, Netali turned to make her way back to the sitting room to rejoin her other guests. When she reentered the room, she found the lords speaking on the predictions for the upcoming winter. Though it was not a politically discussion, it was a topic that would affect all of the lords and their lands. They all knew that it was going to be a hard winter, and since the northlands were already suffering effects off it, the rest knew that it would be coming soon. After the topic had closed, Relina turned her attention to Netali.

"Hasan-sama, I have been posed a question that I cannot answer." She began, and waited until Netali had nodded for her to continue. "With your homeland being so far away, why is it that you were sent to your uncle to learn of him?"

"My uncle is the eldest ruler of our clan, as such, he must approve any heir before they can take over their families title. Most of the families within the clan are not in the lands ruled by my uncle. That is why when an heir reaches maturity they are sent to him, for whatever duration he chooses, before being sent home to take over the title. At the time I was sent to my uncle, he was already teaching two elder cousins of mine. Being older their teaching came first, which is why I was away as long as I was. The process is always the same, first the heir shadows him to see how he does things, then they are taught by him so that they know why things are done the way they are, after that they make decisions under his direct guidance, and finally they are given full authority so that they can prove that they have learned what he was taught them." Netali paused while everyone took in what she had told them.

"It was your parents passing that caused him to send you back at this time?" Kumori questioned.

"No, as I said earlier, I was accountable ten years ago, meaning I passed all the tests of my uncle. I stayed however, because my uncle is aware of the fact that my rule in these lands would be frowned upon because of my gender, and that my age would not seem acceptable either. It was planned for me to stay another ten years so that my age would not cause as much of a problem. It was my decision to take possession now instead of my uncle sending a steward." Netali explained.

"You knew your gender and age would cause you problems, and you decided to come anyway?" Itou questioned.

"If I told any of you that I thought you were unfit to rule your lands, would any of you step down?" Netali countered.

"No." Itou answered.

"Then why should I step down because of any of your opinions of me?" She remarked.

The room fell silent and the tension rose to such a level that a sharp knife would have had trouble cutting through it. Netali's eyes remained on Itou, a challenge within them. None of them knew what to say, Itou had apparently made some type of challenge that none of them understood. After nearly a minute, a small laugh could be heard and Netali moved her eyes towards the noise. Relina was trying to contain her laugh, but was not succeeding.

"What is it that you find funny, Relina-sama?" Nakamura questioned.

"Her eyes are not a reflection of her mother, but of her father." Relina began, and as she continued, she seemed to be talking to herself while she gazed into Netali's eyes. "The most violent creature on the planet is a female protecting what belongs to her, and only her alpha can keep it at bay. Your alpha is thousands of miles away though, so you don't have anything holding it in. Violence of a woman, combined with the knowledge of a man, all of you would do well to disregard her age and remember that her culture is very different then ours. It would be good for them to be shown to their quarters now, they need time to think about what I've said."

"I believe you are correct, Relina-sama." Netali started, the anger melting from her eyes. "Our cultures are very different, and we all have adjusting to do. These servants will show you to your quarters. They will stay near you when out of your room to guide you, and will know how to find me if the need arises." She concluded, motioning to the servants that were alone the far wall.

On cue, they moved towards the center of the room and began to guide the lords out of the room as they stood up. Netali stood up just as Taisho and Relina began to leave the room. Relina turned before leaving, "Itou-sama did not intend to challenge you for your authority. Your father would be very pleased that you held your place so well. As the daughter of my friends, I would like to know you better. If time cannot be found for it now, I can only hope that another time can be arranged."

"I look forward to it, Relina-sama." Netali replied with a slight smile.

The two of them left the room, and Netali sighed with relief once she knew they were far enough away not to hear. She needed to get some frustration out of her system. She'd recognized that Itou was not challenging her, but she wanted to show him that she did not fear them. She made her way to her room and changed into a long skirt and half shirt, which she commonly wore for casual clothes, and then made her way to the forge. She knew that the blacksmith had a lot of work to catch up on, and she knew that the work would take away some of her anger.

The heat of the forge melted away her anger and soon Netali and Torin were talking and laughing as the two worked together to catch up on work. The door to the forge was opened and Netali looked to see who had entered. She was somewhat surprised to see Taisho-sama standing in the doorway.

"Please come in, Taisho-sama. I will be finished here shortly." Netali informed him.

"There is no need for you to stop, I was only curious about your location, and since you are busy, I will not disturb you." Taisho-sama stated politely and began to walk away.

"You are welcome to enter, I am not so busy that I cannot talk." Netali commented.

"I accept your invitation, Hasan-sama." Taisho stated and walked into the room. A moment later he was sitting on a stool near the window.

"My uncle saw fit that all heirs of the clan learn such skills. The ability to forge and reforge blades gives us the advantage of never having to wait for a blade to be made." Netali informed him.

"A wise decision on his part." Taisho commented.

"In my own opinion, I believe he had us apprentice to such skills to occupy our time until he had the ability to teach us." Netali commented, never stopping work on her current blade, "I was told by the master that taught me that skills such as this are quite useful to a noble. It teaches them to separate their physical actions and their thinking. I found him to be correct, working at the forge gives me time to think, and it just so happens that my blacksmith is having difficulty keeping up with his workload." Netali concluded, pausing for a minute to cool the blade, and turning to face Taisho for the moment.

"I would like to apologize for my mother's actions, it would seem as if she had a fondness for you before ever meeting you. She seems to forget her place when speaking to you." Taisho stated with a nod.

"I accept the apology, Taisho-sama, though there is little need for it. To be honest, I am quite glad for your mother's presence, it seems to be a good thing that she knows so much of my family's ways. If she had not been present, I could very well have had a war on my hands." Netali stated.

"I do not believe Itou-sama would have done something so bold." Taisho explained.

"It would not have been Itou-sama that had declared war, but who ever would have taken over in the case of his death. From my way of seeing things, he all but outright called me a coward, to not react with violence would prove his words correct." Netali elaborated.

"I do not believe you to be a coward, and I believe the others see it my way as well. Itou-sama did not mean his words to be a challenge." Taisho responded.

"If that was not his intent, then why would he say such a thing?" Netali questioned, trying to understand.

"It was meant to be a simple question. Women of our culture would have taken the opportunity to back down, and cowardice would have never been considered. He did not understand why you felt obligated to stand up when you could have passed the title to someone who would have had fewer problems." Taisho answered.

"I can understand your point, but I haven't been raised according to your culture." Netali commented, turning back to the blade and walking over to the sharpening wheel.

A few minutes later, Netali had finished sharpening the sword. She stood up and approached Taisho, handing the blade to him for inspection. He looked over the blade and then stood to check its balance. After wielding the blade for a moment, he nodded and handed the blade back to Netali.

"Well constructed and well balanced. It would seem as if you have been doing this for some time." Taisho commented.

"I have practiced the trade for over half a century." She stated, sliding the sword in a sheath and setting it on a table. "I should like to continue this conversation in a different location." She commented, waiting for his response.

"As you wish, I place it at your leisure to choose the location." He stated, standing up from his stool once more.

Netali nodded and picked up her robe that resembled a kimono, but did not fit tightly as they did. Once it was tied in place the two walked out of the forge. Netali decided to continue their conversation in the pavilion within the garden and began to make her way there. Once they were both seated, Taisho decided to break the silence.

"I have answered your question, now I would have you answer a question for me. When my mother greeted you, what was the meaning of her gesture?" Taisho questioned.

"It surprises me that you have not asked her." Netali commented.

"I did, and she told me that as well as she knows the gestures, she did not wish to mistranslate it's meaning. She said that that it is quite important for the gestures to be used correctly." Taisho informed her.

"She is correct on that. I should explain that statement first. There are quite a few of gestures that my culture uses, and even though some of what we do is an illusion, such as the shoulder straps, such gestures are never made falsely, it translates most closely to, 'my word is my honor.'" Netali elaborated, and after a moment decided to continue. "I will show you her gestures meaning, put your hands out as she did." She instructed, and once he had complied, she continued. "Palms are up, showing submission. The chest is unprotected, showing trust. Both hands are extended, meaning a request has previously been made. In her case, the gesture was a request of friendship. It is also used to seal an agreement." Netali concluded, satisfied that she had explained well enough.

"I understand. What other gestures does your culture have?" Taisho questioned further.

"It would be difficult and time consuming to explain them all, but I will show you one that is commonly used." Netali remarked, and then held her right hand out across her, hand sideways. After a moment, Taisho extended his hand in a similar fashion, and the two clasped forearms. "This is a greeting. Though the arm does cross the chest it is still a gesture of trust, seeing as most people use their right hand to pull a weapon. It is made to show that you have no aggression towards the person you meet. The hands are equal to each other showing that the two are of equal title. If one was of lesser title, they would show palm up." Netali paused for a moment while he thought. Netali then raised her other arm and placed it on his shoulder. "This is added after forearms are clasped to show that the two are currently allies or friends. Most will not speak a greeting when it is used, who ever is greeting the other will simply release and stand back." Netali added, and then released the gesture.

"What would be done if there was aggression from the person being greeted?" Taisho questioned.

Netali moved her arm up to his and touched her forearm to his, keeping her arm closer to her and palm towards her. "This is not aggression, but indifference. 'I am not sure where you stand.' If the person greeting is indifferent, they would ball up their hand so that it cannot be taken."

They both moved their arms back and Taisho decided to question again, "Are shoulders ever touched without the arm in-between?"

"Arms forward touching the shoulder is done, either one arm or two there is no difference, it would only be done with family and close friends." Netali explained, keeping her arms in her lap.

Taisho noticed this and decided to comment, "You do not show this one."

Netali smiled, "You are not a close friend. Though I may only be showing them to you, I will not show this one because it would be a lie."

"Is that why you had me move first?" Taisho questioned.

"Yes, though I do not hold you to anything you did." Netali stated.

Taisho considered her words for a moment. He then put his arm out across him, his palm open.

"I hope it has been explained well enough that you know that you are offering me peace?" Netali questioned, wanting him to know exactly what his gesture was showing.

"I offer you alliance." He elaborated.

Netali paused for a moment, considering how she should respond. She put her arm out and grasped his forearm, and once she had, the two nodded at each other. A moment had passed when Netali heard the sound of someone approaching. "Your mother approaches."

Taisho nodded and released his grasp before standing up, "I should like to continue this conversation when you have the time."

"I should like that as well." Netali stated, staying in her position.

Taisho then left the pavilion, and Netali waited to see Relina's reaction of seeing Taisho walk away. The two of them were within her eyesight when they approached each other. Relina said something to Taisho and then he turned and pointed at the pavilion. Relina then approached Netali's location.

"Would you mind company?" She questioned.

"Not at all." Netali stated, motioning at the mat in front of her.

Once she had sat down, Relina decided to speak first, "I am aware of the fact that you heard me well before I could be seen. I did not want to intrude on your conversation, but it was made known to me that Itou-sama was looking for my son and knew of his location. I thought it best that he not find the two of in such a remote location."

"Why?" Netali questioned, understanding that Relina was insinuating something.

"You are the Lady of these lands, no one will dispute that. However, there are social rules between a male and female that you must still follow. You being in the company of a male in a location such as this without a guard present is the same as…" Relina thought for a moment. "Speaking with him alone in your private sitting room." She finished, knowing that she had explained well when Netali's eyes widened a little.

"Exactly what is acceptable?" Netali questioned.

"It doesn't matter who is with you, it's only important that you are not alone. Which is why I have been with you the entire time if anyone happens to question." Relina explained.

"Is your son aware of this change in reality?" Netali questioned.

"Yes, he is. He informed me that we were located at the forge before coming here. Your blacksmith may want to be informed." Relina offered.

"We should inform him now." Netali responded and the two of them made their way to the forge.

After a short conversation with Torin, all details were smoothed out as to what had happened a short time ago. Once Relina and Netali had gone into one of the sitting rooms, Netali decided to begin the conversation again. "What is it that I should say to your son so that he understands the mistake?"

"I will explain it to him. I doubt that he would have misconstrued the act with your current maturity." Relina explained.

"Current maturity? Are you trying to tell me that they believe me to be a… girl instead of a woman?" Netali questioned, completely confused.

"You've hit maturity?" She questioned, looking over her figure. "Breeds in this area hit maturity just before they appear fully developed. I would assume this is not the case."

"You are correct, our breeds seem to develop opposite of each other. That's why they all have been referring to me as a child isn't it?" Netali questioned, seeing new light to the lords' disrespect.

"It is. I will take care of the misinterpretation. I believe I'd be better suited for it." Relina offered.

"I would have to agree. I thank the fates that this conversation came up between the two of us alone." Netali responded.

"I as well." Relina stated.

The two departed the sitting room to go back to their chambers since dinner would be coming shortly. On her way to her room, Netali informed Ashina that she was relieved of duty and that she was to stay in her company at all times. It took a few minutes to explain the problem and Ashina understood why she had been given her instructions. Netali knew that it would not be good for a guard to be present due to the fact that if any of the lords happen to say something out of line a guard would be liable to attack then while Ashina, a mere assistant would keep from making any reaction. Netali decided to wear her white and gold shoulder less dress to dinner, since it was decently formal, but not the most formal that she had. She was trying her best to keep the meeting as informal as possible so that everyone could be comfortable. Once Netali arrived at the informal dinning hall, it did not take long for the lords to enter. Dinner began shortly after the last lord arrived and tension was in the air again. It took some time before anyone decided to speak.

It was Nakamura that decided to break the silence, "Taisho-sama informed me that you are an accomplished blacksmith. Tell me, who chose this skill, you or your uncle?"

"I was free to chose any skill, though it pleased my uncle that I chose the same skill as my father." Netali informed him.

"Your uncle, is this your fathers eldest brother?" Kumori questioned.

"No. I refer to him as uncle, but in all truth he is my great grand-uncle." Netali explained.

"That would explain his wisdom. Exactly how old is he?" Nakamura asked.

Netali had to think for a moment, she wasn't sure how long her uncle had lived, "By my closest estimation he would be over eleven hundred years old, though by appearance he looks as if he is four hundred."

"Is that an indication as to how long he will live?" Hinotetori questioned.

"I am unsure. It has never been made known to me how long the previous elder lived." Netali answered. "Though it has been told to me that the elder of the clan always lives longer then anyone else. No one has ever questioned why it is that way, it is the order of things, simple as that."

Everyone at the table considered what she had said and decided to leave the conversation as it was. It seemed to Netali that Relina's information to the lords had affected their demeanor quite a bit. Once dinner was finished everyone retired to their room, and Netali welcomed the time alone.


	7. Chapter 6 Betrayal in House Hasan

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Chapter 6 -- Betrayal in House Hasan

Morning came quickly and Netali prepared herself for the day ahead of her. Getting dressed in a hurry, she meet Ashina outside her quarters and made her way down to the dinning room. There was little conversation during the meal, and soon her discussions with the lords were underway. Since her family's interactions had been very limited with most of the lords there was little to talk about with each of them other then negotiating trade amounts of the items she had known were from their lands. Nakamura was the first she had met with. The conversation had not been long since Netali knew very little of her lands exports. After speaking with him on his lands imports and exports the conversation had been closed, and he had departed from the estate. Hinotetori had been next; Netali took the chance to review the trade agreements that had been made with him several years ago. After explaining her lack of information about the region, the two decided that trade would halt for a time and a meeting set up after she had received more information.

The discussion with Kumori was equally short. His lands were in need of nothing that he did not already have a source for, and with the distance between the two lands he saw no need in changing anything. The two of them settled on a non-aggression pact and the conversation was over. Netali was pleased that all of the conversations had ended on friendly terms, though with her meeting with Itou coming up she could not hope that it would remain this way. Thankfully, the conversation ended on good terms. Itou had changed his demeanor drastically from the day before, and Netali hoped it was not from the information he had received from Relina. She watched his behavior closely and decided to question the elder woman later on him. Shortly after mid-day, all except Taisho and his mother had departed from the estate. She was glad that they were the last, and hoped that their conversations could last longer. She knew she could learn much from the elder woman, as well as from her son.

When Netali queried Taisho's location, she was told that he had been in the company of General Ramsee and without further information she knew where they would be. Netali and Ashina made there way to the side of the mansion and as she had assumed, saw the two engaged in a spar. She noticed Relina sitting off to the side and decided to join her. Relina nodded at her as she sat down, and the two turned to watch the fight.

"Your general found out about your conversation with my son yesterday." Relina stated in a quiet voice.

"I do hope that is not the reason for this spar?" Netali questioned, keeping her voice quiet as well.

"No, he saw a disagreement between my son and Itou-sama. Once he left to speak with you, the general invited him out here to 'relieve tension.' Though I believe he's using that as an excuse to prove to my son that you are well protected." Relina elaborated.

"That does seem like him. It is his job you know." Netali commented.

"Yes, of course." Relina stated with a small smile, both of them knowing there was more to it. "I hope your conversation with Itou-sama went smoothly?" She questioned after a minute.

"A little too smoothly if you ask me. His demeanor changed drastically from yesterday. I was wanting to question you about that." Netali stated.

"There is little you would need to tell me, I've seen enough when you are not in the room. Itou-sama made a show of the fact that he would be meeting with you before my son did. In return, my son made it apparent that he would still be here once everyone else had departed." Relina informed her.

"Exactly what is your sons intention with that statement?" Netali questioned.

"Rubbing it in Itou-sama face. If he had an interest towards you, you would be the first to know, even before me." Relina answered.

"I believe your son is the only person who has not changed their demeanor since you and I spoke yesterday." Netali commented.

"My son may be young, Hasan-sama, but he still has honor. He would never do anything that was not proper." Relina stated.

"My comment was not against his honor, Relina-sama. I do not doubt that your statement is most accurate. He seems to be the only one that has the ability to present himself consistently. His words and actions do not contradict themselves, as I have seen with the others." Netali explained.

"I understand now. My son says what he means and does as he says. He has never seen the point in misleading people." Relina stated.

"My family has the same point of view, is that why you got along with my parents so well?" Netali questioned.

"That is what started the good relations, and I am glad to see that you carry that same honest demeanor as they had." Relina commented and then noticed Ashina sitting behind her. "With the other lords gone, I do not believe her presence will be required."

Netali nodded, "I will test your theory. Ashina, I know you have much to do, you may go." She stated.

Ashina bowed and then stood up to leave. It was at this time that Ramsee first noticed Netali's presence at the side of the mat. Shortly after he noticed her, the two sparring decided to call a stalemate. As the two approached the side of mat, Netali decided to speak to the general first.

"General, I am relieved to tell you that the tension within the estate should now be at a bear minimum." She stated.

"I'm glad to hear it, Itou-sama was beginning to grate my nerves…" Ramsee cut himself off as he glanced at Taisho and his mother.

"Ramsee, you know that you have my leave to speak your mind, regardless of who is present. If I had not wanted your opinion, I would not have had to stationed within the estate during the meeting." Netali commented.

"As you wish, Eminence. I do not like him and if I ever see him again it would be entirely too soon." He continued.

"I'll second that statement." Taisho commented.

"While I agree with your statement, avoiding him doesn't seem to be an option. As long as he is a lord, I will have to tolerate his presence occasionally, and I can only hope that age will smooth is arrogant ways. If not, I will be forced to look into other options." Netali commented.

"Other options sound good to me." Ramsee stated.

The conversation was cut off as Torin approached the group. Netali excused herself from the group and approached the man. On reflex, Torin dropped to a knee as she approached. "What is it that troubles you, Torin?"

"Forgive me for the intrusion, Lady Netali. I have need of your help when you have time." Torin stated.

Netali walked back to the group as Torin stood and left the area, "I regret to put before you, my blacksmith requires my presence for a short time." Netali told the group.

Relina decided to go into the garden and Ramsee decided he had work that needed to be done, Taisho paused however, and decided to speak, "Would you mind having company?"

"Not at all, Taisho-sama." She stated as the two of them turned to go to the forge.

Once they arrived at the forge, Netali excused herself to another room while she changed her clothes. She removed her outer dress, leaving only a short skirt and tank shirt. She put on a pair of hakamas, which she had found to be more comfortable to wear while at the forge and pulled her hair back into a high ponytail. When she walked out into the main room, she found Taisho sitting in the same location he had the day before and Torin was standing near a table, waiting for her return.

"This is my trouble, Lady Netali." He stated, motioning to the contents of the table.

Netali walked over to him and found a sword shattered, "whose sword is it, and how did it break?"

"It belongs to Himatsu, it was broken during the battle a few days ago." Torin stated.

"No type of power on the shards then?" Netali questioned.

"No, it has already been checked for that." Torin stated.

Netali nodded and began moving the pieces into place so that the sword almost looked whole again. Something about how it had been broken alarmed her. There were no blades in this region with the weight to break on of these large swords. As she analyzed the break, a piece of the puzzle seemed to form in her mind. She turned back to Torin, and looked at the tired look within his eyes.

"Torin, you've spent too much time here the past few days, I give you leave for the rest of the day." She stated and then paused, "Since I'm going to be here, have Ramsee bring my sword."

Torin knelt before leaving the forge and once he was gone Netali turned to face Taisho. She approached him and held her arms out, crossing her forearms with her palms up.

"I can only guess that you are requesting something that has to do with my trust." Taisho stated looking at the position of her arms.

"Close, I'm asking if I can have your silence. I believe you know enough to know how to respond." Netali stated.

Taisho thought for a moment before reaching out with both hands and uncrossing her forearms while loosely placing his hands on hers. Once he had acted he looked up at her.

"I was correct." Netali stated with a nod. "Too many things are not right within the estate. Too many suspicious things have happened. Who ever killed my parents had two weeks to clean up the mess, and now I'm stumbling on clues that they thought were hidden. I've been away from the estate too long to know who I can trust."

"I will give what ever assistance I can." Taisho stated.

Netali gripped his hands for a moment before releasing. She knew Ramsee would be here soon and as much as it hurt to do it, she had to know if she could trust him. "What I'm about to do to Ramsee will either prove him loyal or make him attack me. Can you take him down if it happens to be the latter?"

"With a sword, yes." Taisho stated, realization in his eyes that she had no one to trust.

"That's all I need to know right now." Netali stated in a hushed voice as she turned and walked back to the table.

Another couple minutes passed before Ramsee entered the forge, carrying her sword in its leather harness. He knelt and handed her sword to her; once the sword was in her hand he looked up, and was surprised at the look he saw in her eyes. "What troubles you, Lady Netali?" He questioned, confusion in his voice.

Silence reigned for a moment before Netali's ice laden voice cut through the air, "Are you loyal to me Ramsee?"

"Yes, Lady Netali." He stated, pain added to the confusion in his voice.

"Prove it." Netali stated, ice still in her voice.

He dropped to his other knee and held his hands out, palm up and wrists together, "Let the crooks judge me."

Netali pulled out both crook and crossed them at the end. Ramsee lifted his hands to the bottom of the crooks and lowered his forehead to the top of them. A soft whisper of a voice could be heard after a moment, "Life to the loyal." Ramsee lifted his head and removed his hands from the crooks and remained on his knees. Netali placed them back within the belt currently hidden beneath the hakamas.

"I'm sorry Ramsee, I had to know." Netali stated, a tear threatening to release.

"Will you tell me now what you would not say days ago?" Ramsee questioned quietly.

"Even though I know you are loyal, I still can't tell you too much, but there is something I need you to do." Netali stated.

"You have only to speak it." Ramsee replied.

"I want to know the training record of Himatsu. As well as all of his assignments for the past month. I want to see him on the training field sometime today. Bring what I have asked for after the evening meal, I will be in my sitting room. Make sure no one knows what you are doing." Netali instructed.

"Your wish is my will, Eminence." Ramsee stated, standing up.

"You have much to do." Netali stated, giving him leave to go.

Once Ramsee had left, Netali moved the sword shards over to the forge while Taisho remained silent, giving her much needed time to think. Taisho watched as she heated each of the pieces, just as she had done with her own sword days ago. He knew that it took much skill to properly reforge a blade and that even her own blacksmith was not proficient in this skill. He knew as well that it required much strength and stamina to work at a forge, and he believed that she had chosen her skill well as it would help her increase her strength. Time passed in silence, and once Netali had finished the blade she again handed it to Taisho for inspection. He looked at the odd blade for a moment.

"It would take a massive blade to break such a sword. Such a blade is not made in this region." He commented wielding the sword.

"Only someone with equal strength and an equal blade could break it." Netali commented.

"I would agree." Taisho stated.

After changing her clothes again, the two of them made their way into the estate. Netali made her way to the dinning hall and Taisho went to his quarters to inform his mother of the time. Soon the two of them entered the room. Relina knew on sight that something was bothering the young woman, but she did not question. The meal passed quietly and Netali anticipated her meeting in the sitting room. Taisho and Netali walked up to the third story of the house, a place he had not been within the estate. Mainly because of the guards in front of the steps that barred entry to anyone that was not supposed to be up there. The two guards simply nodded as they began to walk up the stairs.

The two entered the sitting room and decided to take seats within the room that were not visible from the door. Ramsee entered first and handed the papers to her, followed by a maid, bringing a tray with tea. Both of them exited the room at the same time and after a minute, they both retrieved cups from the tray. Netali was quite interested in what the paperwork had to say, and it took her several minutes before she reached to take a drink of the tea. As soon as the sip of tea had been swallowed, red flags began to dance through her vision. There was a taste in the tea that should not have been there. Netali looked up to see Taisho moving to take a drink from his cup. Without words, Netali jumped across the room and knocked the cup from his hand. What ever had been put in the tea was working on her quickly as dizziness put her to her knees.

She looked up at Taisho, still holding the hand that she had tried to stabilize herself with, she pulled his hand lightly and he knelt down, "Call Ramsee." Her voice came out in a whisper and she could see the room beginning to get dark.

"Ramsee." Taisho's voice nearly boomed.

No more then a second passed and Ramsee was in the room, the door was shut quickly and he came to kneel beside Netali. "Eminence?" Was all he could manage to say.

"Ramsee, you just came in here and found both of us unconscious. Go find the maid that mixed the tea and imprison her for questioning. Then go get the antidote. Leave, now." Netali whispered to him. Once he had left the room, Netali gripped Taisho's hand again, "He's not going to get the antidote quickly enough to keep me from passing out. Someone will enter this room before Ramsee gets here. Detain them, if possible, until Ramsee gets back." She instructed him.

Before Taisho could respond, he felt Hasan's grip loosen and she began to fall. He caught her easily and picked her up to move her back to her chair. He stood in the corner and waited for the door to open. He didn't have to wait long. A short fight broke out when Taisho saw the man pull a dagger as he walked towards Hasan. It didn't take Ramsee long to enter the room and when he did, he found Himatsu pinned beneath Taisho. He set the antidote down on the table and took the traitorous soldier down to the prison. Taisho walked over to the table once Ramsee was gone and took the vile and poured it into the cup. Getting an unconscious person to drink from a cup was not the easiest thing Taisho had ever done, but finally he got the antidote down Hasan's throat. About the time he was finished, Ramsee walked back through the door. It surprised him a little to see Taisho sitting in the floor with Hasan's head resting on his lap.

It didn't take Hasan long to wake up, and once she had, she was full of rage and dealt with the traitors quickly. Before going to their rooms, Hasan thanked Taisho for his help. Unfortunately, Taisho was going to have to return to his lands after the morning meal.


	8. Chapter 7 Restoration of order

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Chapter 7 -- Restoration of order

Taisho and his mother departed rather quickly, but not before setting up that the two of them would meet again in a couple weeks to discuss the agreements that had been made previously between the two houses. Relina was somewhat sad to leave the estate, but was more then happy to know that Netali would be coming to their estate soon enough. With the morning meal out of the way, Netali decided to go back to her previous schedule. First on her list was the reports that had come in during the past couple days. Villages were acknowledging the presence of the new heir and reports of vital statistics were coming in. Netali knew that she had a lot of work ahead of her.

Netali had papers scattered all over her desk setting up a trade system between all of the villages that had needs. Some villages had shortage of skill masters; others had a shortage of supplies. She needed to shift everything around to balance it all out. She put Ashina to work writing down notes of who needed what and who had what. She was very happy to have had her paperwork work out for the best, and it just so happened that the busy workload drowned out last nights' events. Hours crept by very slowly as she made her way through all the paperwork. There was so much shifting that needed to be done she would have to pull it off over the course of a couple weeks. Supplies needed to be transferred. People needed to be transferred, but before that could happen, a place for them to go would have to be built. She sent out the work orders for the houses and the trade demands. She was determined to straighten out all the problems through out the land, even if it did take her a long time to do it.

When the evening meal came, Netali allowed her mind to cross into the future. In a couple weeks she would be going to the Western Estate. Taisho was pack now, not just an ally. She was glad of that. The loose family association caused by pack recognition was a great comfort to her. He had more then proven his strength to her, which was demanded by canine tradition. Things such as that had no culture bearing, a canine was a canine was a canine, that's all there was to that. She considered how nice it would be to have his company again; she enjoyed their conversations very much. She'd always loved learning, and he was her new source of knowledge. Satisfied that she had indulged her personal thoughts for a few moments, Netali resumed planning the next few days. Tomorrow she would finish up the paperwork regarding the villages, the day after that she would work in the forge. She also knew that before this day ended, she would be having a discussion with General Ramsee.

Once Netali had gone to her sitting room, it did not take Ramsee long to join her, "Do you think we solved the problem?" Netali questioned.

"It's difficult to know, Lady Netali. He refused to say anything about who put him up to it. The handmaid said that she was told it was a spice from our homeland that you liked in your tea. I'd tend to believe her, but she's not in the kitchen anymore, if that pleases you." Ramsee told her.

"I'll take that for now. When I leave to go to the Western Estate I will not inform anyone that I am leaving." Netali told him.

"When will you be going?" Ramsee questioned.

"Two weeks, possibly. Depends on how things are going here." Netali told him.

"Even if things are in an uproar, you should go." Ramsee informed her.

Netali thought about it for a moment, "I may just do that. I'm going to be busy until I leave, so I'm probably not going to be very social for a little while."

"That is understandable, Lady Netali." He stated.

"I'm going to retire for the night, Ramsee. I will see you tomorrow." Netali stated.

"Rest well, Eminence." Ramsee replied as he stood up and left the room.

Netali had to admit, that conversation went better then she thought it would have. She didn't ponder the conversation too long however, and shortly went to her room to take her rest. The next day was quite busy, having gone through all the information she had on all the villages, she sent out trade orders and decided that she would need to wait until the next set of reports came in before doing much else. Still having half the day left, Netali decided to go visit Torin since she had done little out in the forge to help the blacksmith get caught up. Blacksmiths were in high demand, and she found that having Torin on the estate was a rarity indeed. From reading her reports, the best blacksmith in the villages was little better then an apprentice.

When she reached the forge, Torin was glad to see her. The red dragon looked more rested then she had seen him in a while and knew that his day off had done him much good. She and Torin organized what needed to be done quickly and Netali began working on the projects that Torin lacked the skill to accomplish. She knew that it would be good if she taught him how to do these things, but decided that she needed another blacksmith before she began to teach him what he did not know. The two of them talked quite a bit about what to do with the shortage of skill. When the work for the day was over, Netali ate a quick evening meal and went to her room. As she made her way to her quarters, Ramsee stopped her.

"Lady Netali, I believe you should look at this." He stated.

"I will Ramsee, I'll see you in the morning." Netali stated, wishing she could have made it to her room before being stopped.

She went into her room and decided to look over the report. It was no wonder why Ramsee had stopped her. The report concerned Taisho himself, a scout had come across information about an assassination attempt about to be made against him. Netali decided what to do about the problem as she went to sleep.

She appeared in the dream world, a place she came to so that she could rest from the waking world. There was no stress in this place and Netali always found herself in a good mood while she was here. She thought to herself to pull Taisho here and knew it would only be a matter of a few minutes before he made his way to her location.

"Hello?" She heard his voice call out, unsure what was happening.

"Hello…" She called back to guide him to her.

A few minutes passed and Netali saw a shirtless Taisho approaching the pavilion. "What is this place?" He questioned with angered confusion.

"The dream world. There is no one here besides you and I." She answered.

"Why have you called me here?" He questioned, sitting down in front of her.

"To warn you, I came across information that you need. One of your kitchen staff, a female hawk is intending on poisoning you." She told him.

"I see." He stated, thinking on what she had said. "Will I remember this when I wake?"

"Yes." She answered.

"I have never known anyone to be able to do such a thing before." Taisho stated.

"As far as I know, it is an ability that only my clan has." Netali answered.

"This place is rather peaceful." He commented.

"It is." She stated with a smile, "That is why I come here quite often. It gives me time to think without being disturbed."

"And yet you brought me here." He stated.

"I do not mind your presence here, besides there was a need for me to give you information faster then anyone could reach you." Netali informed him.

"I thank you for that, is everything alright there?" Taisho questioned.

"Everything is calm, but it could be a calm before the storm. We couldn't get any information out of him so the problem isn't taken care of yet." Netali answered.

"If there is anything I can do, let me know. Are you still planning on coming here in a couple weeks?" He questioned further.

"At the moment yes, I don't see anything stopping my trip at this time. I believe Ramsee wants me to come there so that he can have a chance to catch any whisperings around the estate." Netali informed him.

"Two days will not be enough for him to catch anything." Taisho commented.

"I believe you're right." Netali retorted.

"You are more then welcome to remain as long as is needed. I know you can stay in contact with General Ramsee, so you will know when it is time to return there." He informed her.

"Thank you, Taisho, that would be a great help." Netali stated.

"Then let me bid you good night, I shall see you when you arrive. If you have need to leave earlier then planned, simply bring me here to tell me." Taisho stated.

"I will do so, but what if I simply wish to have someone to talk to?" Netali questioned with a smile.

"That would be an acceptable reason as well." He answered, returning the smile.

Netali released them both from the dream world and drifted into blank sleep. When Netali woke in the morning, she decided to take the day slow. She began by bathing, and then took her time with the morning meal. She glanced through the reports that had been placed on her desk and filed them away, knowing that scout reports did not need any response from her. She spent the rest of the day in the forge with Torin, and between the two of them, they were finally getting all of the work caught up. She retired to her room early that night; she had a few things to think on this night. The problems in the village of Priestess Kimi were not getting better, and after studying the surrounding map a bit she realized that there was a community of trained demon fighters. She decided that she would travel there tomorrow to see what information or help they could offer.

Netali traveled for several hours before finding the encampment of demon fighters. A solid wooden fence with only a small twenty-foot opening to allow entry surrounded their community. As soon as she had come close to the village she had been greeted by several of the fighters. Even though the village was on her lands, they had chosen to stay neutral and Netali decided she would not push the issue. She would act as if this little bit of land did not belong to her, if only for their benefit. The headman of the village was almost polite with his introduction and Netali bit back any less then formal reply while speaking with him.

"I am the headman here, what is it that you want, demon?" He questioned.

"I am Hasan Netali, Lady of the south-west. I am here to attempt to gather information on why my village south of here is being attacked." Netali stated.

"We do not attack our own kind." The headman responded hatefully.

"I didn't imply that you were to blame, I merely asked if you had any information on the event, seeing as most of the attacks are coming from demons." Netali retorted.

"We know that demons are being drawn to the area, and that is all we know." He commented.

"Very well then, I'll take my leave." Netali stated and then turned to walk away without any pleasantries.

"Why do you care anyway, demon? That village is made up of humans." He commented as she began to walk away.

Netali turned her head towards the man and decided to respond, "I don't care who lives there, it is my village. The fact that they're human only means that they need more help defending themselves."

As Netali began to walk again, the headman called out to her one last time, "If we find anything, we'll send word to you."


	9. Chapter 8 Visit to House Taisho

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Chapter 8 -- Visit to House Taisho

Several days passed since Netali's visit to the demon fighters' village in relative quietness. The work at the forge was slowly getting caught up and all of the chaos in the villages was beginning to level out. She decided that it had come time for her trip to the western mansion. Her chest was in the floor as she gathered a few of her things. Netali was unsure at this moment how long she would be gone, so she wanted to take several sets of clothes with her, and even her weapons and armor. Everything fit into the crate; once Netali closed the lid she slid the smaller of the two crooks through the hole of the latch. With a shimmer of grey energy, the chest became smaller to the point that it could fit in your hand. She placed the remaining crook in the loop on her skirt and placed the chest into a pouch and tied it onto the loop on the other side.

Three hours passed before Netali was walking through the gates of the western estate. Once she had entered into the main estate, she was quickly meet by Relina.

"I'm sorry for the break in precedence, Hasan-sama. Itou-sama is here. He arrived only a half hour ago and to quote my son 'all things being considered, no one should know you are here.'" Relina paused.

"I understand and agree. Formal introductions can be set aside." Netali responded.

Just as the two woman were about to leave through a side door, Netali heard a voice behind them, "Hasan-sama, I was unaware that you due to arrive here." Stated Itou-sama.

Once Netali had turned around, she saw both Itou and Taisho standing in the hall, "I apologize for the interruption. My arrival was unannounced due to the fact that I was responding to a personal invitation from Relina-sama." Netali told him with a slight bow.

Instead of deflecting his attention, Netali noticed that he began to walk towards them. "No need for an apology, Hasan-sama. I am not scheduled to leave until tomorrow, perhaps after you have rested, you could join us in our talking."

Netali looked at Taisho in the corner of her eye. By the look he was giving Itou one could tell that he was not happy at the situation. "Perhaps, Itou-sama."

"I am glad to see that you arrive safely, Hasan-sama." Taisho began. "I hope your visit remains a pleasant one. If you will excuse us, Itou-sama and I must finish discussing a few matters."

"Of course, Taisho-sama. I thank you for allowing your mothers invitation to reach me." Netali stated with a bow.

Everyone parted company and once they were far enough away, Relina decided to speak again. "With all things being considered, I should like to have you stay within the personal rooms of the estate. That way Itou-sama will not be able to reach your room."

"I should very much appreciate that, Relina-sama." Netali responded.

"Please, we are alone, simply call me Relina." She commented with a smile.

"Relina, then." Netali answered.

The room Netali was shown to was somewhat larger then normal guest rooms. Typically these rooms were reserved for visiting family or friend of the family. Netali guessed, in some way she was a friend of the family, or at least that is how her presence in these rooms would be explained. There was an adjoined bath to the room as well as a door to the balcony. Netali took out her pouch and enlarged her chest and placed her harness and cloak within it. When she left the room, a maid was waiting outside the door and asked that she follow her to the sitting room. She soon discovered that the sitting room she was being lead to was a private sitting room for this wing of the estate. Once she entered, she saw Relina sitting alone in the room.

"I thought it best to stay up here until later today." Relina commented.

"I wish I knew a way to gracefully stay away from Itou-sama until his departure." Netali stated.

"I'll see if I can come up with anything. In the mean time, why don't the two of us get to know each other better?" Relina questioned.

"I should like that very much." Netali answered.

The two women sat talking about a wide variety of things. Relina was curious to know more about what she had studied while with her uncle, and even questioned how she was adapting to ruling the lands. Netali did not mind answering her questions, in truth she enjoyed having someone to talk to that she did not have to worry about politics with. She was comfortable enough around Taisho, but it was different to have another woman to talk with. Once it was time to go to dinner, the two women decided they should hurry to the ground level. When they arrived they found that Itou had already departed the estate. Even though his mother questioned how he had done it, Taisho would not answer. The light bruise on the side of Taisho's face told Netali that it must have had something to do with a sparing accident. When dinner was over, Netali returned to the sitting room on the top floor, only this time she was in the company of Taisho.

After spending several days at House Taisho, Netali decided that it was time to go back to the southwestern mansion. Time seemed to pass quicker once she returned home. There were always many things that needed to be done, she was continually countering assassination attempts, never to find who was behind them. With all the villages gradually growing due to her administrative abilities, she continually had to shift the trade routes. This had meant that she had to assign runners to bring the statistic reports back to her weekly, and make time to look through them all to see if any adjustments needed to be made. What kept her going was the fact that occasionally when in dream, Netali would have Taisho's company, and once in a great while, she would take a several day trip to his estate. After an extremely busy day, Netali went to her room and stared up at the ceiling thinking about her trip tomorrow. She planned to leave just before dawn. The assassination attempts were becoming stronger, and she wanted no chance of being seen as she left. Just before going to sleep, Netali concentrated on bringing Taisho to the dream world with her so that he would know what time of day to expect her, a habit they had started since her first trip there, almost five years ago.


	10. Chapter 9 Fall of House Hasan

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Chapter 9 - Fall of House Hasan

Netali woke with a start, something was very wrong and she could feel it. She quickly got out of bed and put on a pair of hakamas to cover the skirt she slept in and made her way to the entry doors, bow in hand. She saw intruders within the house and Netali assumed it was some type of invasion force. She assisted the estate guards for a few minutes steady making her way to the front doors. When the doors opened, a creature from someone's worst nightmare greeted her. The tentacled thing looked down at her and laughed as if he had found its prize. It's laugh sent chills down her spine.

A tentacle came towards her and she moved her bow in front of her warding off the attack. Not knowing what it was in for the tentacle proceeded and upon reaching her was purified.

"Just as I thought, you **are** Hasan." The creature stated, not phased by what had just happened to it.

Netali froze in place; this creature **knew **what she was! Is that why her parents had been killed? Is this creature responsible for those that turned against her within her home? "What have I to do with you?" She shouted at the creature.

"Simple answer, I mean to kill you." It told her. The male torso told her its gender but she still preferred to call it an it.

"Let's dance then." She told it, flaring up her aura and preparing to strike.

"Let's." It stated, a grin on its face.

Netali leapt towards it, and too late she saw the spears in two of its tentacles. As she was hit, she was slammed back against the only object strong enough to stop her flight, wooden doors. Netali knew she could not get herself down and protect herself from the creature at the same time. She had to fight it while pinned through the shoulders to the front doors of her own home. Without the ability to use any type of weapon, she was limited to using her energy alone. Netali created a barrier around her in order to provide a means of attack and for defense. Black looking smoke seeped towards her and with a small burst she neutralized what she knew was poison. Netali used her heart as a focal point to release attacks and with a short arrangement of an incantation within her mind she shot out multiple energy arrows towards the creature. On contact the arrows burst as if they had been made with gunpowder, causing much of the creatures flesh to disappear. One of the tentacles then made its way towards her, in an attempt to weaken the barrier around her, only to have it destroyed when it came close by her aura, which was radiating at full strength.

The attacks continued to be exchanged and fight raged for several hours. Netali knew that the fight had to stop soon, she moved her palms so that they were facing out and with another incantation a white triangle appeared in front of her. The attack was weak, but it bound the creature long enough for her to gather all of the strength she had left for one final attack. She repeated the incantation as if it were a mantra, building its strength. By the time the creature had released itself from the binding she loosed the spell and sent a flurry of arrows towards him, bursting them all over his warped form. She'd nearly killed the thing, but instead of dying it fled.

Netali was wracked with pain as she felt someone attempt to open the doors from the inside and cried out to make them stop from pushing on the door.

"Lady Netali?" The voice questioned.

"Yes, Ramsee, the spears are through my shoulders." Netali told him.

"Oh gods, is anyone left out there?" He questioned.

"Not that I can see, I can't hear anyone either." She stated.

"I can't get to you, Lady Netali, I don't have the strength." Ramsee stated, full of despair.

"I'll be able to get myself down, Ramsee. I just need to rest. What's everything like in there?" She questioned.

"Most didn't make it, everyone's wounds are severe." Ramsee told her.

"Ramsee, I smell smoke, is it from in there?" Netali questioned.

"I don't believe so, I don't smell it from in here." He answered.

There was a long few minutes of silence before Netali spoke, "Ramsee."

"Yes, Eminence?" Ramsee stated, his strength obviously gone from the sound of his voice.

"Talk to me. I don't want the rest of my time here to be in silence." Netali stated.

"You won't die, Eminence, don't talk like that." Ramsee stated.

"Ramsee, cut the title bullshit, we're both dying." Netali retorted.

"You know, even though I've never said it before, you're just like a daughter to me. I was there when you were born, began to crawl, took your first step, and spoke your first word. I was there for it all. I always wanted to see you take a mate and have children of your own, it doesn't look like that's going to happen though." Ramsee stated, somewhat rambling.

"You were always around a lot more then my father was. You were my best friend growing up, hell, you're still my best friend, even though I could never treat you like it." Netali told him.

"Yes, but I'm not the only one in your heart, there is another." Ramsee stated.

"Oh, Sesshoumaru, what will happen to you when you find me like this?" She spoke into the wind. "If I was going to have a mate, it would have been him Ramsee."

"I know Netali, if I would have chosen who I would have wanted to see you with, it would have been him. He's a good man." Ramsee stated.

Neither one of them found the energy to speak anymore to each other, but the occasional coughs told each other that they were still alive. Netali waited in anticipation for the next noise from Ramsee, but it never came. She didn't know weather he was unconscious or if he had left her. She silently started to cry. She cried because she was in pain, because her best friend in the world was most likely dead, and because she would never see the man she loved again. '_Yes_, she admitted to herself, _I love him._' There was no use in hiding it now, no need for the noble façade. She felt her vision blurring, and knew she would pass out soon, and since she was still losing blood, she knew she would not wake up. She only had one chance to live, and she was going to take it. One arm at a time, she lifted her hand and struck at the shaft of the spear, cutting it close to the skin. When it was finished, she braced herself for the pain she was about to go through. She lifted her legs and placed her hands at her side to push against the door. In one strong motion, she pushed with all she had and soon the bloody steps that had been beneath her met her body. She didn't have the strength to check on Ramsee, she simply allowed sleep to overtake her.

--

Taisho knew something was wrong; Netali had not come this morning, as she should have. With everything that had been happening in her estate over the past several years, he decided to go to the southwestern estate. Three hours passed and he froze for a moment when he saw smoke in the distance.

"Hasan." He whispered in fear, racing towards his destination.

He couldn't believe the damage to the estate, it looked as if an army had come against the mansion. Bodies were all over the outside of the wall. He made his way to the gates and opened them. There was nothing in existence that could prepare him for what he would see.

"No!" He yelled, and began to run up to the front steps.

Netali lay on her stomach, blood stained the doors and steps. Sesshoumaru was almost in tears as he rolled the woman over onto her back. He knew that the spears in the door were responsible for the holes in her shoulders. He quickly felt her neck and was relieved that she was alive. He picked her up gently and used his cloud to move her to the back of the estate. As he had hoped, there had been no battling this far from the front gates. He made his way to a pond within the center of the garden and laid her down. He took off his haori and began to wipe at the wounds on her. Besides the holes in her shoulders there were many smaller scrapes over her torso. He did the only thing he knew to do, he used his claws and cut his wrist, and gently held her head up to get his blood into her system. He could hear her heartbeat strengthen and since he did not know weather the attacker was still present or not, decided to stop before it took too much of his strength.

"Netali." He questioned.

"Sesshoumaru." She whispered.

"Thank kami, I thought I'd lost you." He whimpered, lowering himself to hold her.

"I love you, Sesshoumaru, and I will find you. Even if it takes hundreds of years, I will find you. My lands are forfeit to you." Netali whispered.

"Tell me what to do to keep you here, where are your crooks?" Sesshoumaru questioned desperately.

"It's too late. The crooks won't bring me back, they're in my quarters, one crook and one small chest, keep them safe until I come back to you. I love you, I have for a while. Don't grieve for me, I'll be back." Netali told him.

"I love you too, Netali, I should have said that a long time ago. I don't want you to leave." He told her. His breath hitched, her heart wasn't beating. A roar came out of his throat, and all within miles trembled at the anger.

--

All eyes were upon Kagome as she paused a moment to gain her bearing. Slowly she lifted her head to find her son gazing into her eyes intently. "Mother, the story cannot stop there, you sit before us now." He stated.

"Yes, my son. That is the story of my life before I returned. If you would keep your comments to yourself, I would be able to continue the story." Kagome told him.

"I'm sorry, Mother, please continue." Her son stated.


	11. Part 2 Chapter 1 Not my Enemy

Part 2 - The difference between you and me

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Chapter 1 -- Not my enemy

Everyone joined together for the final battle. One month ago the group had consisted of Sango, Miroku, Kilala, Shippo, Inuyasha, and Kagome. Three weeks ago Sesshoumaru, Jaken, and Rin merged with the group. Their group did NOT join the original group, and the original group did NOT join Sesshoumaru's, so it was left at the two groups mutually merged. After about a week, Inuyasha was no longer baiting his older brother into a fight, and Sesshoumaru was not trying to take his HALF-brother's sword any longer. Kagome, having taken to Rin the first day had been the first to get Sesshoumaru to talk very much, which was little more then one statement. But after the first week the two of them had been seen speaking to each other on several occasions. On one such occasion Kagome and Sango had left to go to the hot spring. Sango came back first, and nearly an hour later Kagome and Sesshoumaru walked up to the rest of the group. Kagome had looked very tired, and Sesshoumaru had walked up casually with his arms across his chest, his hands within the sleeve of the other arm. Wait a minute…. Sesshoumaru had two arms?! Since that night, the two of them had been seen talking quite a bit. They never talked were everyone else could hear, they always moved to the far end of camp, and they never let on to anything that the two of them had talked about.

One week ago Koga, Ginta, and Hakaku had joined the group and after a few very nerve-wracking days, Koga and Inuyasha had started to… they didn't get along… lets just say they didn't fight… well, not as much anyway. With all the time Kagome was spending talking with Sesshoumaru, it had only taken one declaration that Kagome was 'his woman' before he decided he should not do it again… EVER. Kagome had stood up to walk to where Sesshoumaru was sitting, which was almost an every night occurrence.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, what exactly are your intentions towards MY woman?" Koga stated loudly.

"Koga, for the last time, I'm NOT your woman!" Kagome turned and shouted towards the wolf.

Koga continued to glare at Sesshoumaru, waiting for an answer. Sesshoumaru simply turned his attention from the approaching miko and stoically looked at Koga, "My intentions are none of your concern. The miko has obviously rejected your courting request, such as it was. Interfere with my affairs again and I will not be so forgiving."

Koga had started to growl, and Sesshoumaru began to stand up. It was at that moment Koga knew that he meant business, and he also knew it was a fight he could not win. Stopping his growl he stepped back and looked away, successfully avoiding the fight with the more dominant male. Kagome did not comment about what Sesshoumaru had done, she simply turned around and continued walking across the clearing. She sat down about five feet away from the still standing demon lord, and once he had sat back down the two of them turned their attention towards the other.

"So, where were we?" The ever-cheery miko questioned.

"You were about to tell me why the wolf was challenging this Sesshoumaru for the right to court you." Sesshoumaru stated, monotone as ever.

"Challenging you? I don't understand." Kagome stated seriously.

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes, "Did you not hear what he just said to this Sesshoumaru?"

"He wanted to know your intentions towards me." She stated, not comprehending.

"Incorrect, he wanted to know my intentions towards his woman. He did not believe that I should have the right to speak with you in private. He was asserting his dominance over you towards me." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Yea, he's done that towards Inuyasha ever since I meet him. He's never gotten it through his thick head that he'll never be anything more then a friend." Kagome replied.

"My idiot brother has done nothing to stop him?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"You've already seen that I'm the topic that always seems to get them fighting." Kagome answered. "How is it that you got him to leave it alone so easily?"

"When I stood up he was unsure weather or not I was stating that I had rights over you, and he decided he did not want to find out." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Okay, let me see if I get this right. He challenged your right above him when he asked you that, and when you stood up you challenged his right above you?" Kagome questioned.

"Yes." Sesshoumaru answered.

"What would you have done if he hadn't backed down?" Kagome questioned.

"Do you believe that this Sesshoumaru would cower from a fight?" He questioned, lifting a brow.

"No, that's not how I meant it." Kagome stated placing a hand over her face in dismay. "It may seem cowardly to you but humans don't like to see each other get hurt. I know that you were just defending me, but I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me."

"Let me see if _I_ get this _right_." Sesshoumaru stressed, using her words against her. "You do not require that a male prove his strength in order to be in your presence?"

"NO! This is what I like." Kagome stated with her hands out. "Talking with each other. Spending time around each other. What good is a friend if they're never there?"

"For when you are in danger." Sesshoumaru stated, finishing her question as he saw it.

"No, it has nothing to do with fighting or battle. Humans don't like fighting. Well, some of them do but I don't. I want to hurry up and complete the jewel so it can vanish forever and go home." She stated, irritation in her voice.

"Go back to your time?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"I don't know anymore. I used to think that I would just walk away and go back to my time and live my life as I'm expected to in my era. I'm so confused, I have so many questions that I don't have any answers for." Kagome stated, frustration in her voice.

"Such as?" Sesshoumaru queried.

"Who will take care of Shippo?" She listed.

"You are human, he is youki, you should not concern yourself with that." He answered.

"No, that's not the way it is. I may be human and he may be youki but after taking care of him for almost three years, I don't see a fox kit anymore I see my son." Kagome elaborated.

"Next question." He stated coolly.

"What will happen to Rin?" She stated, looking over at the sleeping girl.

"She is in my care, nothing will 'happen' to her." He answered.

"She needs more then someone protecting her, and clothes on her back. She needs someone to read her stories before going to sleep, play in the flowers with her, hold her when she cries." She stated, listing things she had done with the child over the past couple weeks.

"Next?" Sesshoumaru stated, bringing her out of her memories.

"How am I supposed to go back to my old life and pretend that none of you ever existed?" Was her final question.

"Do not think of any of them." He replied.

"Sesshoumaru! You're part of that statement too!" Kagome exasperated.

"I believe we have spoken on enough tonight." Sesshoumaru stated, his usual comment of when the conversation was finished.

"That sounds about right." Kagome started as she began moving to get up. "I'm trying to pick up the pieces of the thing I call my life, and for once in three years someone actually starts to help me. Now my only help decides the conversation is over." She finished, half standing.

Faster then she could register, Sesshoumaru moved forward and grabbed her forearms, after a surprised gasp Kagome simply looked at his hands, "Miko, what am I doing?" Sesshoumaru asked stoically.

She thought for a moment, "Stopping me from leaving?"

"Incorrect. I did not ask what I have done, I asked what am I doing." He repeated.

She thought for a moment, "Your hands are holding my arms."

"My what?" He stated.

"Your hands." She answered.

"How many?" He queried.

"Two." She responded.

"Two hands, something I did not have that long ago. I may have ended our conversation for tonight, but do not think that if you disappeared to your time that this Sesshoumaru would not be effected by the absence." He stated and then released her arms.

Kagome looked at him in confusion for a moment before nodding and standing back up. She walked over to the little girl not far from where she had been sitting and checked her blanket. When she found her well covered, she turned and walked back to the others in the camp. Koga was sitting a little ways away from the others, Inuyasha was perched in a tree, both of them still awake. She simply ignored their looks and laid down on her sleeping bag. Shippo cuddled up to her instinctively as soon as she had become still and after wrapping an arm around him, she fell asleep pretty easy.

_'effected by the absence, was he saying that he'd miss me?' _Kagome thought before sleep claimed her.


	12. Part 2 chapter 2 What are friends for

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Chapter 2 - What friends are for

The group got an early start the next morning, which was typical. Shippo was perched on Kagome's shoulder and Rin walked beside her, holding her hand. As usual, Sesshoumaru traveled along side the group with Rin clearly in his sight. Kagome didn't understand why she had gotten so bent out of shape during her conversation with Sesshoumaru last night. They didn't typically talk about such personal things. Kagome normally would describe things of her time. Sesshoumaru was very interested in the developments that would be made between now and her time. She talked about how children and young adults went to school to learn. How money held more power then a sword. The way governments worked, and the different types of government. Everyone in the group assumed that the two of them had become friends, but this was not really the case. At least, Kagome didn't really think so. Or at least she hadn't thought so until last night. He had defended her; in whatever kind of weird way he HAD defended her. He'd never done that before. When Inuyasha had picked fights with her since he had joined he would leave her to defend herself. What about last night had made him choose do defend her?

Not once had Koga approached her, which he normally did. He walked with the group, but it was away from her. Even Inuyasha wasn't walking beside her as he normally did. Exactly what had Sesshoumaru really done last night? Had he put a claim on her? No, that wasn't possible. He hated humans. But what about his statement '_do not think that if you disappeared to your time that this Sesshoumaru would not be effected by the absence._' If she decided to go back to her time, he would miss her? Things were not that cut and dry with the demon lord, this much she knew. Just because the two of them had been talking quite a bit did not mean the two of them were friends, or that he even cared. But didn't he care? Why would he care about Koga 'asserting his dominance' towards her? More of their conversation came back to her while she traveled, '_You do not require that a male prove his strength in order to be in your presence?' _ What had he meant by that? As an Inuyouki his way of seeing things were different from a human, she knew that much, but she did not know what the differences were. There was a gap in her knowledge as far as that was concerned.

The rest of the day went by without event. When the group stopped for the night, everything began as it always did, will little difference. Kagome and Sango decided to go to the hot spring not far from where they were, only this time Rin decided she wanted to go with them, which of course they allowed. When they returned, dinner was prepared. Kagome decided to try something; she wanted to see if she could figure more about the inu without questioning him directly. Kagome had Sango back away as she took the first bowl. Sango didn't question, but she looked confused. Kagome picked up the bowl and dipped some of the stew out. She immediately stood and walked to the far end of the camp, exactly where Sesshoumaru was sitting. Kagome knelt down beside him as she normally did, only she was a little closer, and held the bowl out to him. Sesshoumaru turned towards her with a brow lifted as she knelt down and once she offered the bowl to him he analyzed her for a moment. The moment passed and much to Kagome's surprise, he reached over and took the bowl from her. She then lifted herself from the ground and turned to walk away, calling over to Rin to come get her dinner. Kagome didn't know what to think, Sesshoumaru had refused dinner every single night she had asked, but then again she had never served him first. '_An alpha always eats first, so that means he must be an alpha._' Kagome stated to herself, filing the information away.

Once Kagome reached the rest of the group she was greeted by many odd looks. No one besides Koga and his group and Inuyasha understood what she had done, but they were still looking at her oddly. She would have to question Sesshoumaru on it tonight; she knew she couldn't figure that out on her own. She already had a list of things she wanted to ask him, but she wasn't sure how many of them he would allow her to ask. Once Rin had finished eating, Kagome noticed that she brought two bowls with her. '_He won't bring the bowl himself. I should go get it next time and see what he does._' Kagome stated in her mind. Once dishes were done, Kagome decided to make her way over to Sesshoumaru.

"You seemed quite eager to get away from your group tonight." Sesshoumaru commented, looking into the sky.

"Kind of, the guys were giving me weird looks." She stated, "You couldn't happen to explain that to me, could you?"

"When did their looks begin?" He questioned.

"Right after I brought you dinner." She answered.

"Hn." He retorted, not looking at her yet. "They believe I have a claim on you."

"Why would they think that?" Kagome questioned very defensively.

"I challenge the wolf last night and then you bring dinner to this Sesshoumaru. A female only acts subservient to a male if he has a claim on her." He stated, turning his face to look at her.

"Oh, I didn't know that. I just wanted you to eat dinner for once." Kagome stated, her temper gone.

"Why does this Sesshoumaru's status concern you so greatly?" He questioned.

"Why shouldn't I care about you? You're part of this group just like everyone else." Kagome responded.

"An alpha female shouldn't be partial towards anyone." Sesshoumaru stated.

"I haven't done anything special towards you. I have done the same for everyone." She retorted.

"I have yet to see you give my idiot brother or the wolf their dinner first." Sesshoumaru pointed out.

"I don't have a problem with _them_ never eating dinner." She stated.

"You never answered my question." He commented.

"Yes I did." Kagome responded.

"Answering a question with a question is not an answer." He stated.

"Because, humans care about their friends." Kagome stated after thinking for a moment. Her statement earned her a lifted eyebrow. "I guess we're not really friends to are we?" She questioned rhetorically. "I don't know, I'm so used to taking care of everyone it just seemed to carry over when you, Rin, and Jaken started traveling with us." Kagome stated, confusion in her voice.

After a long pause, Sesshoumaru decided to speak, "Why would you consider me your friend?"

"Well, you've fought along side us several times and during those fights you helped keep everyone safe or at very least alive. We haven't been attacked nearly as much since you started traveling with us, and I would have to say that it's because of your presence. You sit and talk to me when no one else will. You've tried to help me with my problems. Oh yea, can't forget that you're the only person that's been able to get Koga to leave me alone. How's that for an answer?" Kagome stated.

"That is what you believe a friend is supposed to do?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"Well, yea. What do you believe a friend is supposed to do?" Kagome questioned.

"It is this Sesshoumaru's opinion that a loyal servant is a suitable replacement for a _friend_." Sesshoumaru answered.

"Well, I guess they do the same things, but have you ever considered that a friend does things because they _want_ to and a servant does it because they _have_ to?" Kagome questioned.

"It is more important that things get done in a timely manner." Sesshoumaru stated.

"You never answered my question." Kagome pointed out.

Sesshoumaru lifted an eyebrow, "I have never wasted energy considering such a topic."

"Sesshoumaru, why has Inuyasha and Koga acted differently all day?" Kagome questioned, assuming now was as good of time to question him as any.

"The same answer applies, they believe I've put a claim on you." Sesshoumaru stated, looking away again.

"What should I do about it?" She questioned, and he turned back towards her, "I don't really care what they think but I don't really figure you want them assuming that." She elaborated.

"I care not what they assume." He stated, looking back into the sky.

"I'm glad, I wasn't looking forward to them returning to normal. As normal as the two of them get anyway. Well, for what it's worth, thank you. You're help has made my life much easier." Kagome told him.

"You are welcome, miko." Sesshoumaru responded, never moving his face.

"Sesshoumaru, why did you ask me if I required someone to prove their strength to me?" She questioned.

"It is socially required when people travel in a group. A male must prove his strength in order for the alpha female to accept them within the group." Sesshoumaru explained.

"What happens if the alpha female doesn't accept them?" She questioned further.

"She is not required to acknowledge his presence. Those whom are not accepted must assume her responsibilities, caring for children, preparing food, doing anything the males request of her." Sesshoumaru answered.

"So, why haven't you proven yourself since you came into the group?" Kagome questioned, not sure if she was overstepping a boundary.

"You seemed to accept me without requiring proof. However, since you have made the request of me, what would you have me do?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"You're the one proving yourself, you decide what to do." She responded.

"As you wish." Was his only response.

Before Kagome could take in a breath, the two of them were no longer sitting where they had been. Kagome was now firmly gripping the back of Sesshoumaru's haori for all she was worth, fearing she was going to fall from her new found position of the sky. When the two of them landed, Kagome was reluctant to release at first, but when she saw the ground beneath her she released him and stepped back. She wasn't sure where she was, but she did know that there was a ledge about twenty feet away from them. She watched Sesshoumaru as he turned and walked up to a large rock. She wasn't sure if 'large rock' was an adequate term, the boulder seemed taller then a single story house, it looked more like it was part of a mountain. He casually walked up to the 'large rock' and put out his hands, without even bracing his feet he simply pushed and the boulder was dislodged from its place and fell off the side of the cliff, after he pushed it nearly ten feet. He turned around and placed his hands back in his sleeves as he approached her.

"I take it you accept." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Yea, I'll accept that." Kagome stated, her eyes still wide with surprise. "What made you sure I accepted?"

"You were looking at me. If you had rejected it, you would have turned your face from me before I turned around." Sesshoumaru answered.

"I'll remember that." Kagome stated, more to herself then anyone.

"Now, I have a question for you, miko." He stated.

"Alright." She responded.

"Exactly how does one of your kind acquire a friend?" Was his question.

"Well, I remember when I was younger I would just ask someone if they wanted to be my friend." Kagome stated, pausing for a moment to try to think of anything else to say.

"Miko," Sesshoumaru stated, bringing her out of her daze. "This Sesshoumaru should like to request your friendship."

"Well then, I will grant your request." Kagome stated formally, "and I should like to request your friendship as well."

"Request granted." He stated.

"Uh, Sesshoumaru? How are we going to get back to camp?" She questioned.

"The same method in which we arrived here." Sesshoumaru responded.

"Whoa!!" Kagome shouted, and then resumed speaking in a calmer voice, "I'd like a little warning if you don't mind. I prefer not to be scared half to death. To instantly be flying through the air is not something I'm used to."

"Very well, are you prepared to leave?" He questioned.

"Yes." She responded.

Sesshoumaru finished walking up to Kagome and placed an arm around her waist. Knowing what was coming, Kagome wrapped both arms around his waist. She was surprisingly calm as they lifted off the ground this time. It seemed as if Sesshoumaru was not in as much of a hurry to get back as he had been to leave.

"You seem reluctant to go back to the group." Kagome commented.

"I do not like the company of large groups." Sesshoumaru responded.

"Is that why you always sit off by yourself?" Kagome questioned.

"It is." He answered.

"I always thought it was because you didn't want to be around us." She commented.

"You can exclude yourself from that statement, miko." He clarified.

Kagome paused for a moment and then decided to speak, "Okay, so you just don't like being around the rest of them."

"Correct." Sesshoumaru affirmed.

Being tired, Kagome settled the side of her face against his chest. As she found a comfortable position, she rubbed the side of her forehead against his chest. She smiled to herself as she heard a noise from him that sounded a lot like a purr.


	13. Part 2 Chapter 3 Unanswered Behavior

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Chapter 3 -- Unanswered behavior

Sesshoumaru landed on the outskirt of the clearing and as he expected no one except the slayer turned to face them. He had not wanted to start a fight at this moment in time. Once he had realized the miko had fallen asleep, he had hurried his pace back to the camp. He would not lie, he was comfortable around the miko, and he did find their conversations entertaining. He debated with himself for a moment, should he take her to her pallet and show off that she had fallen asleep in such close proximity of him, or should he disturb her slumber so that she could walk to the blanket on her own. Due to the fact that she had expressed much stress over the past couple days, he decided to leave her be and take her to the pallet himself.

He paid close attention to the occupants of the camp while he approached her pallet, and found everyone avoiding his eyes. He would have guess that it was largely due to the fact that he had a death glare on his face aimed towards anyone that would dare wake the sleeping woman. The slayer moved quietly to open her blanket while the inu lord placed the miko on her bed. Once she was laying beside her kit, which cuddled up to her as usual, the slayer moved the blanket back over her, while Sesshoumaru simply turned and walked away. Sesshoumaru was quite pleased with himself; his curiosity about how humans worked was being satisfied. Not only that, but during his exploration to their habits he had gained someone worthy of being called a friend. It wasn't as if he would say that out loud, not even to her at the moment. He knew that she would take such a comment as a personal degradation.

He had learned a long time ago that the miko that traveled with his idiot brother was a very unique creature, human or not. She had taken it upon herself to care for a child, more precisely a kit, which was unique all in itself. What surprised him the most was her curiosity of demon society. She traveled with several demons and wishes to understand the way they worked. He had seen her trying to calculate why the demons of the group had done things that were peculiar to her. Her knowledge of the things to come was what made him most curious about her. It was the only topic they had discussed until the wolf had acted so unruly towards her. Yes, she was the alpha female of the group and deserved respect. Yes, the wolf had stepped very out of line by not listening to her when she rejected his suit. Yes, it had even pissed him off to some slight degree that he was trying to take his new source of knowledge away from HIM, Lord Sesshoumaru of the western lands. The idiot wolf should have known his place. If it had been up to him she would never have returned to the group around the fire. '_This is ridiculous. Why am I becoming so irritated by his actions?_' Sesshoumaru knew why, he had become comfortable with her presence. Isn't that what a friend really was? Someone you have been around long enough that you had become used to their presence, to the point that you would feel lacking if they were no longer there. When last nights conversation had turned to her going back to her time forever, he realized he would feel lacking if she were gone, she was indeed a friend.

Even though the inu lord felt comfortable around the miko, there were still many things that he would never say out loud to her, even if she asked. He would find an acceptable way of answering her question, just as he had tonight about the conversation on friends. It had surprised him slightly when she had confronted him on his statement of males needing approval from her. He had made the statement to see how long it would take her to catch on to what he had said, and wanted to test her curiosity. Humans were never curious creatures, they simply existed, lived and died. They seemed as if no purpose drove them, and if there was nothing driving their existence why should they live? Satisfied that he had gone through all of the events of the night, Sesshoumaru decided to take rest for the remainder of the night.

--

Kagome woke up feeling very rested. It took her a moment to understand how she got to bed. Sesshoumaru must have carried her here, because she did NOT remember walking here on her own. Once she was unwrapped from the blanket, morning began as it always had. As the group decided to begin traveling, Kagome noticed something quite unusual. Sesshoumaru was standing much closer to the group then he normally did. He was holding the reigns of Ah Uh, and Rin was standing close to the dragon as well. As she approached the group she decided to speak.

"Good morning." She greeted everyone with a smile, as was usual.

"Good morning Kagome-chan." Sango greeted with a smile.

"Good morning Kagome-sama." Miroku stated.

Sesshoumaru only nodded in response. "Are we ready to go?" She questioned.

With no response Inuyasha simply began moving forward, as the precession line began, Sesshoumaru put his hand out and grabbed her arm. She looked up at him with curiosity, and he moved to the side of her and picked her up, placing her on the dragon. He then picked Rin up and placed her next to Kagome. She was extremely confused why he had done this, but she wasn't about to complain about not having to walk all day. After nearly an hour, Sango turned to say something to her friend that should have been right behind her only to find her riding the dragon belonging to Sesshoumaru. She was extremely confused by this. Not only that, but why had the two of them disappeared last night. Why was he acting so differently towards her in general? She decided that she would have to ask her sister what was going on tonight when they went to bathe tonight.

Sometime during the day Rin and Shippo had decided that they were tired and had ended up falling asleep against Kagome. All she could do was smile. These two children were talking her into staying here more and more every day. There were so many questions she had about staying here. She wanted to formally adopt Shippo, but she knew nothing about how youki did such a thing. She quickly decided that she would need help, and she knew her choices on who could help her were very limited. She turned her mind to the subject at hand, she had two sleeping children next to her, and she was content to give them all of her attention. During the time she spent staring down at the two children, she thought about the past few days. It still surprised her that Sesshoumaru had taken to her talking with him as easily as he had. But with what she was starting to find out about him was that he was not as cold as he appeared. For whatever reason, it was necessary for Sesshoumaru to present an extremely controlled front. She wondered to herself if she would ever learn to see past that front.

"Miko," Sesshoumaru stated, getting her attention, "take the reigns, I have something I need to see to."

"Alright." She stated quietly as he gave the reigns to her.

"If a fight happens to break out, it is his job to protect you." He informed her before turning into a ball of light and all but disappeared he moved so fast.

'_I wonder why he had to leave?_' Kagome questioned inside her mind.

Koga was the first to notice Sesshoumaru's absence within the group, and he wasted no time moving towards Kagome. As he began to approach, the dragon turned his head and began to growl. Kagome told him that it was all right and he stopped his growl and nodded at her.

"Would you mind if I spoke with you?" Koga questioned, very meekly.

Kagome was struck by how different Koga seemed, he was always so bold and now he seemed so weak. She decided to see if she had learned anything from her new friend, "Proceed."

"Would you tell me why you rejected me, after all this time?" Koga questioned.

Anger flared in Kagome so quickly she could almost feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up, "After all this time? I told you from day one that I was NOT YOUR WOMAN. I've been rejecting your suit for three years. THREE YEARS, KOGA! As for WHY I rejected you, since it is not obvious. You don't listen to me. You never hear a word I have to say, except for now. All you've ever thought about is yourself, did it every cross your mind that I'm a different person, I like different things, I dislike different things. I don't like people picking fights with my friends!" Kagome paused for a moment as she saw the two children beginning to stir uncomfortably; she glared up at Koga and emitted a very inu growl. "And now you've caused my children to wake up! I'm stopping and at this point I don't care what you do. As far as I'm concerned you don't need to even look at me, seeing as I'm not important enough for you to prove yourself to, so guess what, you can take care of yourself from now on." Kagome then turned her attention to Ah Uh, she began to ask him to kneel, but the dragon seemed to know what she wanted. As soon as she had dismounted, Ah Uh laid down, giving her something to lean against. Even though they were following the edge of a forest, there were no good places to lean onto. Instinct was kicking in with Kagome; she had two children in her arms that were muffling a sob due to the fact that she had been so angry. Any child was this way, when tempers flared they became scared; she realized that she had been wrong however, the children were not awake, they were sobbing in their sleep. She lent against the dragon and held both children close to her and began to gently rock them. Kagome continued to rock while the children settled into undisturbed sleep.

Sango was the first to approach the distraught miko. Both of them saw the look of confusion in each other's eyes. "Kagome-chan, are you alright?"

"I don't know Sango. I don't know what's wrong with me, I just snapped. When I heard the kids, and knew they were scared I felt like I was getting ripped apart on the inside. What's going on Sango?" Kagome questioned.

"I don't think anything is wrong, Kagome-chan. I think you've just kept it all in you for too long. I don't understand what's been going on the past few days, but what ever it's been I think it's done you some good. Sesshoumaru-sama seems to have helped you when no one else could, and for that, I'm glad. Do you need me to move them?" Sango questioned looking down at the two children.

"No!" She almost shouted, and then calmed her voice before continuing, "They're fine where they are."

"Okay, I'm going to go keep the guys at bay." She responded, a little caught off guard.

"Thank you, Sango" Kagome responded.

Kagome had calmed considerably with talking to Sango. She could never be angry with her adoptive sister. She thought about what Sango had said, was keeping all that she had bottled up the past three years to blame for her little explosion? It seemed to make sense to her. Half an hour passed and Kagome saw Inuyasha walking slowly up to her, not sure if she was still angry or not. Before Ah Uh could growl at him, Kagome told him it was all right.

"Is it okay if I talk to you?" Inuyasha questioned.

"Yes, Inuyasha, you can talk." Kagome stated, still calm.

"I know I've been real distant, for a while, well, ever since Sesshoumaru started traveling with us, and I just wanted you to know that I'm not avoiding you, though it may seem like it. You've always told me that I act before I talk and I'm trying to not do that. So I've kinda been not talking at all." Inuyasha paused for a minute before he decided to continue, he acted as if he was fighting with something. "Kagome, have I ever… proven… myself… to you?"

"Yes, Inuyasha you have shown me your strength." She responded with a smile.

"Good. How'd you learn that rule anyway?" He questioned.

"Your brother." Kagome stated.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense, I've never explained that, Koga would never explain it, so I guess that only leaves him, hu?" He stated, seeming to think about it in his head. "I should have explained it years ago, but since the three of you were human I didn't figure it would do a whole lot of good. I'm not good at explaining things anyway." Inuyasha paused again for a minute and decided to continue. "I know you and Sesshoumaru have been around each other, a lot, the past week. It really pissed me off at first, but I got over it, kinda. I'm kinda glad for it now cause if the two of you hadn't been talking so much, I don't think he would have stood up against Koga the other night. It surprised me that he wanted to talk to you a little while ago, I'da thought he was smarter then that." Inuyasha stated.

"What do you mean?" Kagome questioned, not understanding his statement.

"I don't know if Sesshoumaru has a… courtship… claim on you or not, but I do know that he stepped up to alpha and Koga backed down. At very least, Sesshoumaru's claimed responsibility for protecting you. Koga walking up to you like that is kinda a challenge. Sesshoumaru made it clear he didn't want him around you and he did it anyway. You get it?" He questioned.

"Yea, I understand." Kagome stated, still listening to him.

"Anyway, he kinda surprised me the other night, standing up and all… Guess that shows how much I know about him. That's not what I was gonna talk about. I'm trying to sort things out on my own for once, and since Sesshoumaru is gonna protect you, I've been using it for a chance to think, and I just don't want you thinking that we're not friends anymore. I'm sorry I never explained how a pack works. And I'm sorry for all the shit I've put you through." Inuyasha paused for a moment, his eyes moving behind Kagome for a moment. "That's all I really wanted to say."

"I understand why you never explained it, and it's okay. As far as the past goes, why don't we just leave it there, okay?"

"Okay, do you need me to do… anything before I… go?" He questioned.

Kagome shook her head and began to answer when she heard a voice behind her, "Lay out her blanket." She knew it was Sesshoumaru, even though she was not in a position to turn around. Inuyasha merely nodded at him and began unfolding the blanket. Once he had finished, Inuyasha said nothing he simply looked back at her and then rejoined the others. After Inuyasha had left, Sesshoumaru moved around the large dragon and picked up each of the children and moved them to the blanket. Kagome took the opportunity to stand up and stretch. With both of the children moved, Sesshoumaru sat down and lent against the dragon. Kagome turned around to see him looking directly at her. It made her nervous at first, but then she realized that he was waiting for her to say something. Once she had sat down beside him, she decided to start explaining.

"Not long after you left, Koga decided he wanted to talk to me." Kagome began, and saw his eyes squint in an unhappy reaction. "He started going on about why did I reject him after all this time, and I blew up. I told him that I rejected him three years ago he'd just never listened to me long enough to hear it. And then the children" She began looking over at them for a moment, "started to cry in their sleep, and I went off the deep end even worse. I told him that I was stopping and didn't care what he did, and since he didn't think highly enough of me to prove himself that he could take care of himself from now on. I don't know what happened, Sesshoumaru, I lost it bad. I mean, I growled at him! I've never growled at anyone before. And the children, during my whole rant, I claimed them as mine, not _the_ children, _my_ children. And I don't understand why they were so effected by my anger, Shippo's never done that when I was mad before, and Rin most human children would have woken up scared. I just don't get it." She stopped, looking at him pleading with him to give her answers.

Sesshoumaru sat in silence for some time before speaking, "Do not concern yourself over it. This Sesshoumaru believes he may know what is going on."

"What?" Kagome questioned, hoping he wasn't going to stop there.

"I will speak of it when I know more." Sesshoumaru noted the disappointed look in her eyes, "I do not wish to give you inaccurate information."


	14. Part 2Chapter 4 When Pack becomes Family

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Chapter 4 -- when pack becomes family

"There is something you should see." Sesshoumaru stated as he stood, offering a hand to lift her.

Once she was standing, he walked around the dragon to reveal something wrapped in paper and tied. "What is that?" Kagome questioned.

"Something that requires being opened." He stated.

Kagome knelt down and found that there were two items 'that required being opened.' She picked up the first and gasped as she held it up. It was a pair of red hakamas; along the hem there was a branch with a mixture of pink and white sakura blossoms painted, covering the entire side of each leg. After starring at the pants for several minutes, she decided to pick up the other package. She found two haoris, one was pure white while the other was red and painted to match the hakamas, the branches of blossoms covered each shoulder and ran down the hem of the sleeve. A thin white obi was found beneath and by the length of it, Kagome believed it was intended to be tied in the front and left hanging. Underneath everything she found a pair of red shoes that look similar to Sesshoumaru's. Kagome felt tears in her eyes, as she turned around to face Sesshoumaru.

"Is this why you were gone?" She asked, trying not to cry.

"Indeed." He answered, his expression never changing.

"Why did you go and do something like that for?" She questioned, turning back to the clothing and crying in full force.

Sesshoumaru stood silent for a moment before walking to the side of her and lowering himself on one knee. "Have I… insulted you?" He questioned, not understanding her burst of emotions.

"No, no, no, you haven't insulted me, it's just… no ones ever given me anything like this before." She stated still crying slightly.

"It is required of me, to provide for you what you cannot provide for yourself. Your clothing seemed, worn, to this Sesshoumaru." He stated.

"You can't expect me to wear this!" Kagome stated looking over at him, only to see confusion in his eyes. "I mean, it will get damaged."

"When that happens, it will be replaced." Sesshoumaru replied.

"I can't let anything happen to it." She retorted.

"Why are you so concerned that wearing the clothes will damage them, it is inevitable?" He questioned.

"I could never let anything happen to something so nice." She answered.

"You are concerned because of its decoration?" He questioned further.

"Not only that… but, it would cost a fortune to replace these." She stated.

"You do not wish to wear these because of the cost in having them made?" He questioned, thinking he was understanding what she was saying.

"Well… yea." Kagome responded.

"Then I should have you know that it did not 'cost a fortune' to have them made." He informed her. Yes, it had cost him to have them made, but what were a few gold coins to him? "Now, call the slayer near, I will show you to the spring that I found."

Kagome called Sango over quickly and picked up her new clothes. She was still in a state of shock and she intended to get it out of her system once her and Sango had some privacy. It didn't take the three of them long, and Kagome was sure that Sango had not liked the trip. She was constantly looking at him nervously. Once the hot spring was revealed, Sesshoumaru turned around and walked away from them, well, actually he simply turned directly around and walked right between them. The two women looked at each other with question and turned back to the spring.

"Sango, look at these!" Kagome stated.

"Oh my, Kagome-chan, they're beautiful. Where did you get them?" Sango questioned.

"I'll give you one guess." Kagome stated, looking in the direction Sesshoumaru had just walked off.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" She questioned, and Kagome nodded.

"He only said that it was required of him to provide for me when I can't provide for myself. Sango, you've got to do some explaining to me, no one else will." Kagome paused for a moment, "Actually, Sesshoumaru has been explaining a few things, but he acts like he's not sure how to describe things. And it's really awkward for me to have to describe why we do things the way we do."

"This is a bit out of my league Kagome-chan, but I'll try, I think I can explain a little. What you've described is somewhat like a claim. I'd have to know more about what's been said between the two of you before I could say much." Sango stated, confused about the situation.

"Well, when Inuyasha was talking to me earlier he said something about him claiming responsibility of protecting me, that's all I can really say." Kagome informed her.

"From what I can see, he's the alpha of his group, you're the alpha of our group, since the groups came together and Koga backed down from him the other night, he's maintained his position of alpha, and you haven't been challenged so you're still alpha. He doesn't seem to have a personal claim on you, it's a pack claim. He's bound to protect you, see to any need you have." Sango paused. "It's like running a house with several people in it, there's a mom, a dad, children, and other adults the parents take care of, only the parents aren't married."

"Okay, I think I understand a little better. Is there anything you could possibly warn me about?" Kagome questioned.

"Anytime the males start growling at each other, you should make sure you are closest to Sesshoumaru-sama. They have a very different set of body gestures then humans do. If a challenge happened to break out between any of them against Sesshoumaru-sama. If you were standing closer to the one challenging you would be backing up their challenge." Sango explained.

"So my best bet is to stay closer to him then the others at all times." Kagome commented.

"Yes, and keep contact with him, and keep the children away from Koga and his group. I don't think he would, but it's a wolf's nature to attack a rival through their children. As far as pack rules go, Rin is Sesshoumaru's child, even if he hasn't officially adopted her." Sango instructed.

"Thank you Sango." Kagome stated.

Both women were satisfied with their new information as to what was going on and decided to continue with their bath. When they were almost finished, Sango decided to open a new topic.

"What's your opinion of him anyway?" Sango questioned.

"Of who?" Kagome questioned but the look on Sango's face told her the answer, "I enjoy his company, and I feel safe when he's around." Kagome answered, her eyes speaking more then her words had.

Sango had only asked the question to see her eyes, and she saw everything she wanted to in them. Her friend and sister was happy around him, something she hadn't seen in her eyes in a couple years now. It had worried Sango badly when Kagome and Inuyasha had come to realize that they would never be any more then friends. She had worried that it would cause the group to split up. She had not idea what would happen when the jewel was complete, but she knew that if Kagome ended up staying here she would be staying with her. She was relieved to see that someone else was looking after her as well, for however short it lasted. Once the women were out of the spring, Sango helped Kagome into her new clothes, making sure she wore everything correctly. When they were sure that everything was tied and placed correctly they began to make their way back to camp.

They arrived to see an awake Rin and Shippo playing in the field together. The two of them had been playing together every time the group stopped for the night, it was new to them to be able to play during the day. It then struck Kagome how much of their childhood had been taken away from them. She decided then that she needed to have a conversation with Sesshoumaru. She found him leaning against Ah Uh, one knee bent with his wrist leaning on it. She sat down near him and looked towards the playing children.

"Sesshoumaru," She began, and waited until she knew she had his attention.

"Hn." Was his only acknowledgment.

"How would I adopt Shippo by youki standards?" She questioned.

"First, you would have to find the den of kitsune and the female of the den would have to approve of you taking him in. How would humans take in a child?" Sesshoumaru answered.

"Well, all that would have to be done is for me to ask Rin if she wanted me to be her mother, and if she said yes that would be it, she'd be mine." Kagome stated, not realizing what she had said for a moment, "I don't know why it came out like that." She stated, turning to him.

"Because you wish for her to be yours, that is why." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Yea, I guess you're right. What's going to happen when this fight is over?" Kagome questioned.

"Life will go back to normal." He stated, not knowing what she was referring to.

"Well, yea, I know that much, I mean, I don't know, I guess I just don't know where I stand. Since Koga knows I reject him, the three of them will return to their den, they've only stayed to see his death. Inuyasha plans on going back to Kaede's village to continue protecting them. Sango and Miroku will more then likely get married and move away from everything. I figure you're going to go back to your home. I just don't know what will happen to me and Shippo, we don't have a place to go." Kagome stated, looking back at the children as she spoke.

"You will come back with me, I will get you an acceptable place to be." He stated, without thought.

"Back to the whole, 'you'll provide what I can't' hu?" Kagome questioned, trying to find his motive.

Sesshoumaru only nodded in response. "Take her in if you wish, an alpha is not good enough for her, she needs a mother." He stated after a few minutes.

"You really mean that." Kagome stated in shock. "I don't want to take her away from you."

"Then don't." He stated.

"You said I'd have to find a kitsune den first, what happens after that?" Kagome questioned.

"A blood bond." He answered.

"I don't know what that is." She stated.

"He would take blood from you, which is most often done from a hand and while you are still bleeding he would drop blood onto the wound." Sesshoumaru explained. "You should do this with Rin as well."

"How am I going to find a kitsune den?" Kagome questioned.

"I passed one on my way back here." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Will you tell me where?" She questioned.

"I will take you there." He answered.

"When?" She questioned further.

"Now if that is what you want." Sesshoumaru answered.

"Let me go talk with them, and then we can go, okay?" She questioned, a large smile across her face.

He nodded in response and Kagome stood up quickly and made her way towards the children. She was so happy at this point, and the children knew something was going on. When they saw her running towards them, they stopped their game and waited for her. Once she was standing in front of them with her hands out. They each came and took one of her hands.

"I have a question for both of you." Kagome stated.

"Okay." They both said in unison.

"What would you think about me being your mother?" She stated, now serious.

Both children stood there with a blank stare on their face for a fraction of a second. "Are you serious?" Shippo questioned.

"You mean I can have a mommy again?" Rin asked.

"Yes, and yes." She said with a smile to both of them.

She was expecting them to say something, but instead she was tackled by then as they started a mixture of laughing and crying. She couldn't help but join in on the high emotions as tears started falling. She finally had purpose in her life again, and she decided that nothing would take it away from her.


	15. Part 2 Chapter 5

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Chapter 5 --Mothers and their children

Kagome described to Shippo what had to be done in order to make his adoption official. He was very surprised that Sesshoumaru was going to help his soon-to-be mother in adopting him. Kagome told him that their opinion of the Inu Lord had been very wrong, and asked him to watch for himself. Two very excited children and one excited woman stood up and walked back to the demon lord ready to leave.

"There is a matter to attend to before we can leave." Sesshoumaru stated, handing Kagome something wrapped.

"What's this?" She questioned.

"Something for your son to open." He stated.

Kagome turned and handed the package to Shippo with a smile, she had a small clue what was inside. Kagome noticed that while she dealt with Shippo, Sesshoumaru was handing a package to Rin. The girl took the packed excitedly and ran behind the dragon for cover. Shippo's eyes widened when he saw a new set of clothes within the paper. Once Rin came out from behind the dragon with a new kimono, Kagome sent Shippo to find cover behind him and change as well.

"Are we ready to leave?" He questioned, the two children going on to Kagome about their new clothes.

"Yes." Kagome told him and herded the children to the dragon.

Once the three passengers were seated on the dragon, Sesshoumaru turned to the rest of the group, "Inuyasha," He called, and once he turned he finished his statement, "we will return shortly."

Inuyasha said nothing, his only response was a nod of acknowledgment. The group began their trek in silence. Both of the children were extremely happy and they hugged up to her during the ride. They did not journey long before Sesshoumaru stopped the dragon and Ah Uh knelt to the ground to allow his passengers to dismount. After a few minutes of walking Kagome could see an opening in the side of a tall hill. Sesshoumaru motioned for her to remain back and walked closer to the opening. A male fox was the first to be seen and Kagome was surprised to hear the conversation.

"What have I to do with you, Sesshoumaru-sama?" The male asked politely.

"I seek the presence of your female. She is required to formalize an adoption." Sesshoumaru stated.

The male nodded and turned around. A few minutes later he returned followed by a female. "Where is the female in question, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru made a motion with his hand and Kagome knew to walk up to where they stood, motioning for the children to stay back. Kagome stopped once she was standing beside Sesshoumaru.

"I am whom you seek." Kagome stated.

"A miko? How disgusting, what makes you think I would allow you to take in one of my own breed?" The female questioned, showing her top teeth in a display of anger.

At first, Kagome didn't know how to respond, but then she realized that this female was trying to take Shippo away from her. "I haven't just taken him in, I've cared for him for three years, and I will not let the likes of you take him from me." Kagome informed her, her own top teeth showing while she growled. "If you require that I fight you, don't think I will back down."

"You're a weak ningen, how do you expect to protect him?" The vixen questioned, still growling.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is my pack's alpha, if I can't protect him, he will." Kagome responded, a glare in her eyes as she continued to look towards the vixen unwaveringly.

"How do you intend on teaching him youkai ways?" She questioned.

"I'm around enough youkai, I will find him an acceptable teacher for the things I can not teach him." Kagome responded.

The two continued growling at each other before the vixen stopped and allowed a smile to cross her face, "Let me see the kit."

Kagome stopped her growling at the same time the vixen had and once she had made her request she turned slightly, "Shippo."

Once Shippo had arrived and had characteristically jumped onto her shoulder, the vixen looked at him and spoke, "Do you wish to be adopted by this ningen?" She questioned softly.

"Ningen or not, she's my momma." He answered, not sure what else to say.

"You're strange, miko. You are probably the only miko to ever exist that would adopt a kit instead of kill it. I'm sorry that you lost your parents, kit. I believe life with this miko would be better then being alone. I will accept you taking him in, miko." The vixen told them.

"Let us leave then." Sesshoumaru stated just before turning around and beginning to walk away.

Kagome turned to follow after him, just as Shippo dropped into her arms and the two began to hug each other. As they returned to the dragon, Kagome picked Rin up and all three of them piled onto the waiting mount. Kagome was happy to have this step out of the way and didn't pay much attention to the fact that they were not returning the way they had come. Once Kagome realized that it had taken longer for them to return then it had to get there in the first place she looked up to find her surroundings unfamiliar. She decided not to question Sesshoumaru and simply enjoy the excitement from the children.

Nearly an hour passed and Kagome found them stopping in a clearing. She looked at Sesshoumaru with a question on her face. Knowing that she did not understand what was going on, he decided to elaborate.

"Doing a blood bond is not something that you should do in front of the others. I will not allow your up-coming weakness to be used against you." He informed her.

Kagome understood why he had not taken them back to the group now and she made her way with the children to sit in the middle of the clearing. Sesshoumaru did not come into the middle with them, instead he stood of at the side watching for any disruption she would have during this process.

"Rin, do you understand what we're going to do?" Kagome questioned the child in front of her.

"Sesshoumaru-sama said something about a blood bond, but I don't know what that is." She responded.

"Shippo is going to make a little cut right here on my hand." Kagome began pointing to the side of her hand. "I'm going to need you to drink it, after that he's going to have to prick your finger and then you'll put your finger right there on my hand." Kagome instructed her.

"Why do we have to do all that?" Rin questioned.

"Because, youkai will be able to smell me in you and you in me, and because of that no one will ever be able to take you away from me." Kagome told her. Rin smiled from ear to ear when Kagome told her that no one could take her away. Kagome knew that she understood. "Rin, since Shippo is older, he's going to be first okay?"

"Yea, that would be alright with me." Rin responded.

"Shippo, is there anything you want to ask?" Kagome questioned turning towards the kitsune.

"No, I already know about this kinda stuff." He answered.

"Okay, come here then." Kagome instructed.

Shippo came closer and crawled into her lap. Kagome moved her arm to hold him close while she cradled him and then held out her hand to him. She was a little surprised when his teeth broke skin, she was expecting it to hurt but instead it felt a little worse then a needle. Kagome could feel energy wrapping around the two of them. Her hair began to whip around them by the wind from the energy around them. She closed her eyes and held Shippo a little tighter as the energy pulled at him, weaving its way into him. She could feel a cord between the two of them forming and knew that it was the connection that youkai had with their children to know when they were in danger. Kagome realized that the energy was changing Shippo as his legs grew longer. She slowly began to open her eyes that wished to stay closed to see that Shippo had grown quite a bit, but what surprised Kagome the most was the rest of his appearance. Instead of seeing a fox, she know saw a human, his hair which was once red was now black, his tail was gone, his legs which once resembled kitsune legs were now as human as the rest of him, and it surprised her that his new clothes had changed so that they still fit him. Kagome would have been worried if it had not been for the fact that she could still feel his youkai energy within him, stronger then it had been before, and could still feel the points of his teeth in her hand. Shippo must have known he had taken enough because he let go and without thought brought his hand to his mouth and pierced his finger. He laid his finger on her hand, and Kagome realized that he knew that he looked different now since he had seen his new legs. As his blood dropped onto her wounds it closed and soon Shippo looked up at his mother and Kagome noticed that his eyes were just as blue as hers.

Kagome wrapped her arms around her son who looked to be no more then four years by human terms, but he was still several inches taller then he had been. Once Kagome released him from the hug she took a moment to look over him better as he stood in front of her. Though his hands still looked human, his nails still had a slight sharpness to them. Kagome motioned for Rin to come closer and she moved into her lap just as Shippo had before, only Kagome cradled her on the other side. She held her hand out to Shippo who made a small cut on her other hand, and then gave it to Rin. The energy wrapped around them as it had before only Kagome did not notice any change in the girl's appearance. Once she had released Kagome's hand Shippo made a small prick on her finger and she placed it on her hand at the wound. When the wound had closed, Rin moved off her lap and stood to look at her and it was then that she noticed that her eyes had turned blue, and her aura radiated the energy of a miko. The children, mainly Shippo, decided to play tag in the clearing. Kagome stood on shaky legs and walked over to the edge of the clearing, near Sesshoumaru, and sat back down. Kagome looked up at him, questioning what had happened.

"Why did Shippo change, Sesshoumaru?" She questioned.

He sat down, still looking over at the children, "I do not have that answer."

"What do we say to the others? What can you sense about his change?" Kagome questioned further.

"I can feel miko energy from them both, that is how we will explain it. Since you are human and a miko, his appearance altered to look more like you." Sesshoumaru explained.

"But he still has youkai energy within him, what do you feel from that, how do we explain it?" She queried.

"His breed is undeterminable by scent any longer, we will tell them that the miko energy is slowly causing the youkai energy to fade." He answered.

"That will work. But I don't think that's the truth." Kagome stated, staring out at the children.

"Nor do I." Sesshoumaru answered.


	16. Part 2 Chapter 6

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Chapter 6 - In search of answers

After the children had played for a couple hours, Kagome and Sesshoumaru silently attempting to find answers, the group decided that it was time to go back to the rest of the pack. The trip did not take long and soon Kagome was explaining everything to Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha, just as she and Sesshoumaru had planned. None of them understood why the change happened, but they all accepted the answers she gave them, since there was no human record of an adoption of a youkai child. Rin was easier to explain, since she was now her daughter, she had the miko abilities in her blood just as if she had been born of Kagome. Sango helped the tired Kagome with dinner and soon after the meal was finished, she stretched out on her pallet and fell asleep.

Kagome felt herself drift off to sleep. She was faced with the same dream she'd been having all her life. Before she had come to this era she had seen herself walking the streets of Tokyo searching for someone. Once she had come here it had changed, she was still looking for someone, but she was searching here. She was moving faster then her legs could carry her, years ago she had realized that she was floating. Even though there was an urgency in her mind to find who ever she was looking for she still felt at peace. Everything stopped; Kagome was no longer floating through the air but standing on the ground. For once she was able to look down at herself, she was wearing a long white dress. Once she looked back up she realized that she was looking directly at a sleeping Sesshoumaru. Without thought she walked up to him and knelt down. 'I found you.' She whispered to him in the dream. She leaned over towards him and placed a kiss on his lips.

Kagome woke a little startled. She had never been able to figure out who it was she was looking for in her dream. Last night she had stopped in front of Sesshoumaru, for the first time during the course of her life, she had found what she had been looking for. But why had she been searching for him? She opened her eyes to see that it was still very dark out. After pulling herself away from the children, Kagome took off her top haori and laid it over the children. She could no longer zip the sleeping bag up since there were three people occupying it now, it could only be used as a mat to sleep on. She would have to get something larger when she returned home. With the children covered, she looked out over the group. Sesshoumaru was uncharacteristically asleep, leaning against the dragon just as he had been in her dream. Everyone else in the group was also asleep. She picked up her bow and quiver in one hand and walked over to the dying campfire. She silently added a few logs to the fire to keep her friends warm. With that finished, she stood up and looked around the area, something seemed out of place. It was the same feeling she got when something was about to happen. Kagome moved her senses in every direction away from the camp to try to locate the source of her unease, but in the end she felt nothing.

Kagome decided to move back towards the children and when she turned around she saw that Sesshoumaru had woken up. Instead of going to sit beside the children, she decided to sit next to him. There was a question in his eyes and Kagome knew that he wondered what she had been doing, since her bow and quiver was in her hand. Kagome sat down with a sigh and continued looking out over the area.

"You seem troubled." Sesshoumaru stated.

"I woke up feeling like something is out of place. I can't figure out what it is." Kagome informed him.

"Is that what woke you?" He questioned further.

"No, it was a dream I've had all my life. It's always been the same, until tonight." Kagome told him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Sesshoumaru waited for Kagome to elaborate her dream. When she didn't, he decided to add something to her thoughts, "Sometimes our dreams tell us things we do not wish to face while we are awake."

Kagome reflected on his words for a moment before speaking, "I don't know what my dream could be telling me. It's always the same, I'm moving really fast. Like I'm not attached to my body, and I'm looking for someone. I've always felt like it was urgent to find them, but I never do, until tonight. I was moving really fast, as always, and then I stopped. I was wearing a long white dress, I could see the end of it because I started walking. The funny thing was, you were there. You were sitting just like you were a minute ago, but I couldn't see anyone else. I sat down next to you and said 'I found you', and for some reason I lent over and kissed you. Then it was over, I woke up." Kagome paused for a moment, thinking. "What was really odd was that in the dream, you returned the kiss like you knew I was there."

Sesshoumaru considered what she had said. He had been dreaming as well, but his dreams had taken him into the past. He had relived a memory of being in the company of a woman that had been gone for many years now. It struck him as very odd, because in his dream a woman wearing a long white dress had kissed him and he had returned it, but the woman wearing the dress was not Kagome, it was a woman that was no more then a ghost that haunted him. The woman had haunted his dreams for over a hundred years, since the day she had been killed. "I do not know what you dream could mean, but I believe it has something to do with you feeling odd as of late." He told her, after considering all of the options.

"Have you figured anything else out about that? I'm sorry to keep bothering you about it, but it just worries me, Shippo worries me." Kagome stated.

"I have no answers as of right now. I believe they will show themselves with time, until then, I need to know anything odd that you experience." Sesshoumaru answered.

"You know everything that's happened so far, and I'll make sure you know anything else that happens." Kagome informed him.

The two of them then sat in silence. Kagome was trying to figure out anything that could be the cause of what was happening to her, and now to Shippo. She knew that he was not turning human, as they had told the group earlier. His youkai energy was too strong for that to be happening. It felt different then any energy she had felt before. She knew that if she could see Shippo in some appearance that reflected the energy that was coming out of him, it would not look like any demon she had seen before. It was a completely foreign energy pattern.

Sesshoumaru was calculating what bearing the two dreams could have on each other. She had been dreaming something that had never happened, and he had been dreaming of the past. He recognized the energy coming from Shippo but could not figure out how it could be coming from him. He had to have gotten this energy from Kagome from the bond, but how could she have it within her and still appear as she did? Kagome was becoming something that was not human, he knew that much. _'I found you.' _The words rang through his mind. She was looking for him, the woman in the white dress. _'Is it true? Could she have been speaking the truth?_' He knew one way to find out, but it would require him to leave the group to go to his mansion to retrieve something he had locked away for a long time. After considering his options, he decided to wait to see if anything else happened with Kagome before retrieving the item.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome questioned.

"Hn?" He responded.

"Since we're so close to Kaede's village, you think I could go home to get a few things?" Kagome asked.

"I do not see a problem with it. From here we should only have to camp once to reach there." Sesshoumaru stated. _'If she goes to her time, it will give me a chance to go to the mansion without her knowledge.' _He thought.

"Thank you." She commented, unsure weather or not he would let her go home. Sesshoumaru only nodded for an answer.

--

It was late morning when they arrived at the well, Kagome decided to take everything out of her backpack that she wanted to leave here so that she would have room to carry more things back with her. Nothing extremely out of place had happened, but there were a few things she wished to ask her grandfather when she reached home. She was unsure weather or not the well was going to allow her to take the children back with her, but she had decided that she was going to try. Inuyasha could pass through the well because his subjugation beads had her energy within them, so since the children had her energy as well, they should be allowed to pass. She had already spoken with the children about her time, and about how they needed to call her by name since she was going to pretend that they were her cousins from out of town if she had to. They understood why they had to pretend such a thing and agreed to do so.

Holding one child on each of her hips, she stepped off into the well. The blue energy wrapped around them all and soon they gently landed at the bottom of the well. Kagome was relieved to look up and see that all three of them had made it back to her time. One by one, they climbed up the latter that had been placed in the well to allow her to get out easier. She made her way into the house, one child holding each hand.

"Momma?" Kagome called out.

"In here, dear." Her mother called out from the kitchen. The three of them walked into the kitchen to find her and her grandfather sitting at the table drinking tea. "How have you brought with you? I thought only Inuyasha could cross into our time?" she questioned upon seeing the children.

"Mom, this is Shippo and Rin. Kids, this is my mother." She introduced them.

"Shippo? I thought you said he was kitsune dear?" Hiromi questioned.

"He is mom, I adopted him a couple days ago. Doing so changed his appearance to look more like mine. Actually mom, I adopted both of them." Kagome explained.

"You mean I have grandchildren?" She questioned out of shock. "Oh, come here." She told them with her arms open.

"Go ahead." Kagome told the children.

Both of the children walked up to her with a smile as she hugged each of them and kissed their forehead. Shippo was the first to talk, "Is it okay if we call you Ba-chan?"

Hiromi looked as if she was going to cry when she heard the question, "Yes, dear, you can call me Ba-chan." She told them and hugged them all over again.

A few minutes passed before Kagome showed the two children to the living room and introduced them to Sota, and informed them of what he was supposed to say if anyone came over. She left the two fascinated children with her brother and returned to the kitchen.

"Dear, I know you wouldn't have had them leave unless you had something important to say." Hiromi began.

"You're right, mom. I didn't really want to start this as soon as I got home, but I think it needs to get out of the way. Once Naraku is dead and the jewel is gone, I've decided to stay in the feudal era. It would be too much on the kids to come to this time, and it would be very difficult to take care of them as well. There's no job I can get here that would let me support two children, especially since I'm not going to be able to go to college." Kagome began, but was cut off by her mother.

"You know dear that your grandfather and I would do everything that we can to help you with them." She informed the girl.

"I know mom. Sesshoumaru allowed me to adopt Rin under the term that I would not take her away from him. If I come back here, I'll do just that. I know he'll help me figure out what to do. Besides all of that mom, there's been a lot of weird things going on with me, especially in my dreams. That brings me to the question I wished to ask Ji-chan. Do you know anywhere I could get information on tenshi?" Kagome questioned.

The elder man thought for a few minutes, "I know a place that could help you. They are called the Society of Tenshi Legends, I have the number. They may be able to help you, what are you looking for?" He questioned back.

"I don't know what I'm looking for, I keep having dreams and I think it is of a tenshi and I want to know more about them. I've never even seen one in feudal time. I'm sorry to cut the visiting short, but I want to get all these questions out of the way so I can enjoy the rest of the time I'm here." Kagome told them.

It took Ji-chan nearly half an hour to find the phone number he had been talking about, and Kagome took that time to take a bath and change her clothes. She told the children that she may have to leave the house for a while, and explained that she wanted them to stay here. She wanted to keep them from the differences of the times as much as possible. It was already going to be difficult enough for them to gain family only to have to leave them in a few days. Once Kagome had the number in hand, she thought about what she could say to the person on the phone in order to get information.

"Thank you for calling the Society of Tenshi Legends, how can I help you?" The voice over the phone asked.

"I'm looking for legends that began around the warring age." Kagome told them.

"Are you looking for anything in specific?" The questioned.

"Other then legends that began during that time period, no I don't have any other details." She answered.

"We have several references during that time period, but I am afraid you will have to come to our library to read them, we do not allow them to leave here." She told Kagome.

"Alright, could you give me your address?" Kagome questioned.

Once Kagome had received the address, which was on the edge of the city, a good hours bus ride away, she prepared herself to leave. She stressed to the children that she would be back soon, and informed her mother that she would try to make it back for dinner. After her mother insisted on giving her some money before leaving, Kagome began her trip to the bus station. During the trip there, Kagome considered exactly what she wanted to look for. She knew that no one in the library would be able to give her any real answers, since they saw them as only legends. Time passed very quickly and soon, Kagome was walking the last block before entering the large building that she hoped would provide her with much needed answers.


	17. Part 2 Chapter 7

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Chapter 7 - Society of Tenshi Legends

When Kagome entered the room, she saw a reception area at the end of the room with a woman setting at the desk. Kagome walked up to the woman, trying to keep her anxiety at bay. The woman looked up at her as soon as he noticed her approaching and gave her a smile. Kagome instinctively smiled back.

"I called earlier looking for legends that began during the warring era." Kagome told the woman.

"Yes, I remember your call, go through that door," She stated, pointing to Kagome's right. "There is a librarian present in case you need any help."

"Okay, thank you." Kagome stated with a nod and turned to the door. _'Just as I thought, everyone in here is human.'_ Kagome thought to herself as she walked into the room.

Once she had entered the large room she saw a massive library, Kagome would have never thought that there were so many books containing tenshi. She had to wonder what other information this place had locked away. Kagome made her way to a computer and sat down. On the screen was a box to enter text to search for. Kagome thought for a few minutes before typing anything into the box. 'Sesshoumaru' No entries found. 'tenshi adoption' No entries found. 'tenshi dreams.' The screen displayed several books with the reference and after reading their descriptions she found a book that had information regarding the meaning of dreaming of tenshi. It took her a few minutes to find the book and she made her way to the table to begin looking through it. After reading for nearly thirty minutes she decided that the book had no 'real' information within it and was beginning to get disgusted. Kagome noticed that the librarian, a middle-aged woman, was walking towards her.

"Are you finding what you are looking for?" She questioned.

Kagome was about to answer the woman, but when she looked up at her she realized that she could feel the same energy coming from her that she felt from Shippo. She tried to contain any type of reaction and answered, "This book doesn't have what I'm looking for, but I think you could give me answers."

"I have studied a wide variety of topics within the library, perhaps I can help." She answered.

Kagome knew that they were the only two within the room. She didn't know what came over her to make her respond the way that she did, but she realized that she could not stop her mouth, "Don't try to pass that off on me, I _feel_ as if you can answer my questions."

"Come up to the desk with me." The woman responded and began to turn. Once she reached the desk, she picked up a phone and dialed a couple numbers, no doubt an extension number. "Could you have Saniiro come to the library please?" She hung up the phone a moment later and turned to Kagome.

A few moments passed before a man entered the room from a door Kagome had not noticed on the far side of the room she had entered from. He walked directly up to Kagome and gave the librarian a nod, "My name is Saniiro, could you follow me to a conference room?"

Kagome realized once he had come closer that he too had the same feeling coming from him as the librarian had, "Yes." She responded and the two of them made their way to the door he had entered through.

Once they entered the hallway the door had lead to, Saniiro chose a door and the two of them entered. It was a small sitting room, and the man motioned for Kagome to take a seat. "Can I get you something to drink?" He questioned walking over to a small table.

"No, thank you. I just want answers." Kagome told him, leery to accept anything from the man.

"Ask then, and have no fear of outside ears." Saniiro stated.

"What exactly are you?" Kagome questioned without delay.

"I am a tiger tenshi." He answered as he poured a cup of tea.

"You mean tenshi have breed differences just like youkai?" Kagome questioned.

"Yes." He answered simply.

Kagome felt as if the weight of the world crashed down on her. Shippo had the energy of a tenshi in him now, that's why it had felt different. What kind of tenshi had he become? How could he have gotten such energy from her? Was that to explain what was happening to her?

"Miko, are you alright?" Saniiro questioned, seeing the distress in her eyes.

"I don't know." She stated numbly. She realized that she had not introduced herself, "My names Kagome, by the way."

"Kagome." He stated with a nod. "You came here looking for answer, and can't give you any if you don't ask the questions.

"I really don't know where to begin. I'm so scared that I'm going to say too much." Kagome told him, trying to hold back tears.

"Is there a hunter after you?" He questioned with great concern.

"Hunter?" She questioned, not sure what he meant.

"The Hunters are a group of humans and youkai that have been trying to kill tenshi and the youkai that have allied with us for many years, centuries actually." He explained.

"No, it's nothing like that, but that does explain why you've hidden yourself so well." Kagome stated. She thought about her words before she decided to continue, "I adopted a kitsune youkai, during the blood bond his appearance changed to look human, and I could feel the same energy from him that I feel from you. I don't know what's happening to him, and neither does a friend of mine."

"This friend of yours is human?" He questioned.

"No, youkai." She answered.

"Could you tell me their name?" Saniiro questioned further.

Not knowing if he was still alive or not, Kagome decided the least he knew the better, "No, I can't."

"It's alright. I can understand the need for privacy. I know something that can help you." Saniiro told her as he stood up.

Kagome followed him without question. They walked down the hallway and out into an open room. She could see many small buildings within the domed area. They walked through the area, Kagome receiving many odd looks from the occupants of the area. They walked into another building, which had been locked until Saniiro took out a key and unlocked it. The room was dark except for a few dim lights. In the center of the room was a large mirror with a sitting mat in front of it.

"This is called an oracle mirror. They are created through tenshi magic, and can answer any question. Ask the mirror your question and it will give you your answers. I'll be outside the door until you are finished. The door will be locked, but you can unlock it from this side." Saniiro told her before leaving the room.

"What's happening to me?" Kagome asked the mirror.

The mirror was filled with a gray swirling cloud, Kagome looked into the mirror for several minutes before she heard an answer, "Put simply, your soul was once within a tenshi, that tenshi is attempting to communicate with you."

"What are they trying to say?" Kagome questioned.

"She wishes to come back, but needs your acceptance to do so." The voice stated.

"How do I talk to her?" She questioned. The gray cloud began to depart and within the mirror was a woman sitting mirrored to Kagome. The woman looked human, but she knew that she wasn't. Kagome stared at the woman for a moment before she decided to talk. "Why do you want to come back?"

"You need me. My power can help you kill your enemy. My knowledge can help you provide for your children. My skills can see to their protection. All I want is to keep a promise I made a long time ago." She stated.

"Promise? You're the one that's been searching for Sesshoumaru. That's why I've been having that dream isn't it?" Kagome questioned.

"My searching was never intended to distress you. The past six hundred years I have tried to keep a constant watch over him, so that when I got the chance I could find him easier." She told Kagome.

"Six hundred years, that would mean you knew him a hundred years before I meet him." Kagome stated.

"Yes." She answered.

"What is your promise?" Kagome questioned.

"We were good friends before I died, as I was dying he begged me not to go, and I swore to him I would return. In order to fulfill my promise, I must merge with you. Any tenshi at this place could tell you what that means, I don't have time to describe it. Once they've told you, if you chose to accept I will give you everything that I am." She told Kagome.

"If I accept, how am I supposed to tell you?" Kagome questioned.

"Call my name in any mirror and I will appear. Doing this takes much energy from you, so we must stop this conversation before you become too weak." She answered.

The image began to fade and Kagome had time for one more question, "What is your name?"

"Netali Hasan." She answered just as she faded away.

The mirror returned to its former appearance, and Kagome was hit with a wave of exhaustion. She sat in the floor attempting to gain her bearing for several minutes. Finally she was able to make herself stand and she made her way over to the door. Just as he had promised, Saniiro was standing near the door when she left the room.

"I hope you found your answers." He stated.

"Yes, some of them. Is it possible for me to come back tomorrow to get some more information I need?" Kagome questioned.

"Yes, you are welcome to come here, you and your son, no one here would harm him." He commented, adding the last when he had seen the mistrust in her eyes.

"Thank you." She stated with a slight bow and began making her way out of the building.

When Kagome had arrived home, she told her mother that she and the children would be going to the library again tomorrow. Shippo and Rin both where extremely excited at this idea, they wanted to see as much as they could about this new place. Kagome's mother also insisted on taking them, and left a phone with her so that she could come back when she was ready to leave. Once dinner had finished, Kagome gave the children a bath and they soon went to sleep. Kagome sat in the dinning room with a cup of tea for several hours, calculating exactly what she should do. Kagome could understand why she had seen her mother sitting in this room so often, she knew now that she had been deciding the fate of the family, just as Kagome was doing now. She was trying to sort out the chaos the best she could, and finally decided that she would learn more tomorrow.

--

Once Kagome had left the building, Saniiro walked into a private room and picked up a phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.

"Yes?" The voice on the other line questioned.

"There was a human miko in the library today that searched for your name, I thought you may want to know that. She's coming back tomorrow if you want to be here." Saniiro told him.

"Was her name Kagome?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"Yes, so you do know her?" Saniiro questioned.

"Yes. What was the purpose of her visit?" He questioned.

"Looking for answers concerning her son. She said she did a blood bond with him and a youkai friend of hers had no answers to help her. I asked her their name and she refused to tell me. I don't know if she'll bring her son with her tomorrow or not, judging by the look she had on her face I would have to guess she's not going to." Saniiro informed him.

"She is loyal and trustworthy, make sure she has the answers she's looking for. Do anything and everything you can to help her." Sesshoumaru told him.

"I'll do everything that I can, I take it that you will not be here then?" Saniiro questioned.

"I have not decided." Sesshoumaru stated and hung up the phone.

Sesshoumaru sat silent in his office, a blank stare on his face. Sesshoumaru had not known what would happen when she had gone through the well, if he had known he would have stopped her from going. Once she had left, days passed by and she had not returned to the point that Sesshoumaru had told the pack they were going without her. Only he had survived the battle with Naraku, with no one to purify the shikon he had wrapped it and locked it away and waited as the years ticked away. He waited until the time came for the shikon miko to reappear in time. He had considered the idea that Kagome had decided to stay in her time, but it had not made sense to him, she knew that she was needed in order to kill Naraku. It was not until half a century ago when Sesshoumaru had been studying quantum theory that he realized that since Kagome had traveled through the well, everyone would continue living like she would not come back, but once she did go back a day or two from now a paradox would hit and no one would remember the life that could have been. At first he had felt abandoned, then after a century he had become angry and colder then he had ever been before, another century had passed and he began to miss the girl and children. The hurt of missing them had long faded away, and he smiled lightly at the thought of seeing them again. He debated on going to the guardians base tomorrow, he knew that she would remember seeing him, though he would not remember seeing her. What could he tell her that would help her once she went back through the well? Since he had the remainder of the jewel was there any reason for her to go back at all?

--

Hiromi pulled up to the massive building and watched as her daughter and two grandchildren exited the car. Kagome told her that the phone would be turned off until she was ready to call her, so not to worry if she got no answer if she attempted to call. Hiromi couldn't help but smile to herself at seeing her daughter a grown woman. Kagome had already explained to the children not to talk to anyone about anything. She also told them that the people here knew they were her children. She had explained to Rin that she had not mentioned her to any of them because she had not wanted to put her in any danger and not letting them know she existed was the easiest way to do so. The child had smiled and told her that she understood. Some times Kagome had problems remembering that this nine-year-old child was a lot more grown up then she should be. They walked into the reception area and Kagome saw the same woman sitting at the desk as she had the day before. She smiled and nodded at her, and the woman did the same. She motioned her head towards the door to the library and the woman nodded again with approval. The children quickly found their way to a play area within the library and Kagome stressed to them to keep quiet.

Kagome sat down at one of the computers again and decided to try to find what she was looking for within the books of the library. 'tenshi merging' No entries found. _'Grrr, why don't they have anything useful in these books?' _Kagome questioned in her mind. 'Hasan Netali,' The computer came to life with information on the name. House Hasan had been the ruling family of the southwestern lands before the warring era. Hasan Netali had died after an attack on her home. It was rumored that House Hasan had strong ties to House Taisho. 'House Taisho' The house that had ruled the western lands for nearly two thousand years. '_Taisho Sesshoumaru_' Kagome put together in her mind. She had never known the demon lords family name. Knowing that she had found everything that she wanted, Kagome walked over to the children and got them ready to leave this room. She caught the attention of the librarian and motioned to the door that leads to the hall. She nodded with approval and the three of them began to make their way to the courtyard Kagome had seen the day before. The children stared around the area once they had first entered and a thrilled shriek from Rin caught Kagome's attention immediately.

"Sesshoumaru!" She cried out and pulled at Kagome's hand to let her go.

Kagome decided to let go and allow the child to run just to see what was going on. As Rin approached the late thirties human looking man wearing slacks and a dress shirt, he dropped to a knee and opened his arms with a slight smile. 'Yes, I can see Sesshoumaru in him.' Once she had closed the distance between the two of them, Kagome decided to speak. "Sesshoumaru, how did you get through the well?" She asked quietly.

He looked up at her before responding, "I didn't come through the well, Kagome."

"You mean, five hundred years has passed for you?" She questioned in a daze.

"Yes. I take it you just arrived yesterday?" He questioned back.

"Yes." She began to ask another question but decided against it since so many people could move close enough to hear.

"Follow me, we'll go somewhere more private." He stated as he picked up the girl and began carrying her across the courtyard.

Kagome could do nothing besides follow her, much older, friend and smile at the sight of him carrying what looked to be his granddaughter. They entered one of the smaller buildings and once Kagome had walked in after him, Sesshoumaru closed the door and locked it. Kagome saw that the building was a small sitting area, and she turned to face him when she heard the door lock.

"Why do you have to lock it?" She questioned.

"It places a silence spell on the room, no one could hear us talking even if they were standing next to the door. You should know that I would never cause you harm, Kagome." He answered, hurt in his voice just enough to hear.

"Yes, I know that. I thought you might not trust them." Kagome responded.

"To a degree I don't, not when it comes to what we are to talk about. They do not know that you cross time, and I do not wish for them to." He commented.

"What happened after I left?" Kagome questioned after they all sat down.

"That does not matter. What matters is this." He stated as he pulled out a small box and opened it, showing her the contents.

"The rest of the jewel?" Kagome questioned. She reached out and touched the jewel, purifying the taint of Naraku.

"Merge the jewel Kagome, wish on it, wipe it from existence." Sesshoumaru urged her.

"But then I won't be able to go back through the well, you know that Sesshoumaru." Kagome informed him.

"It won't matter. The shikon will be gone, then there will be no need for you to go back." Sesshoumaru informed her. He saw her look over at the children. "I will help the children adapt to this time. Don't worry about what you will do or where you will go. I'll see to it that they are cared for so that you can go to college, I'll take care of them myself if that is what you wish. Don't go to college and simply come to my estate. You have unlimited possibilities, all you have to do is make the jewel go away." Sesshoumaru offered.

"Why won't you answer my question, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome questioned, concerned at Sesshoumaru's words. If she didn't know better it would seem as if he was begging her not to go back.

"It is of no concern, that is why. You have only lived through hell these past years because of your desire to complete the jewel. Merge the jewel and your hell on earth will be over." Sesshoumaru stated, holding out the jewel to her once more.

"Why are you trying so hard to keep me from going back? What happened when you fought Naraku?" Kagome questioned. Sesshoumaru looked down at the jewel, not wanting to answer. "Answer me, Sesshoumaru." Kagome demanded after a minute of silence.


	18. Part 2 Chapter 8

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Chapter 8 - Horrors of the past

"You're not going to let me avoid this are you?" Sesshoumaru questioned her, looking directly in to her eyes with a lot more pain in them then she wanted to see.

"Something happened to cause you pain, and I'll do anything to take it away Sesshoumaru. After everything you've done for me, I can't stand to see that hurt in your eyes." Kagome stated, pleading with him.

"This hurt you see in my eyes is because I don't want you to go back. I don't want any of you to get hurt. Kagome, you're alive. The children are alive. I told you once that it was my place to provide what you cannot, time has not changed that. Why must you tempt fate by going back?" Sesshoumaru questioned in a surprisingly calm manner.

"What are you not telling me, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome questioned, worry in her voice.

Sesshoumaru hung his head in defeat. The worry in her voice disturbed him, and he knew he could not avoid the past any longer. "At first we thought you had abandon us. It wasn't until I studied quantum theory over half a century ago that I understood what had happened. We found Naraku about two months after you left. When we found him, he created an illusion of you in his grasp. He told us that he had already killed the children and then killed you in front of us. All of them," He began, but laughed slightly, "all of _us_ went into a blind rage, thinking that we had failed you by not knowing that he had you all that time. I was the only one that survived the fight. It wasn't until Naraku was dead that I realized that it was only an illusion, since 'you and your blood' had disappeared without a trace. Tensaiga would not let me bring any of them back. I took the shikon from him and the wolf and locked it away, knowing that the three of you were really safe, you were just in the future. I knew that once time had passed I could find you and you would be able to get rid of the jewel once and for all." Sesshoumaru stated and then paused for a moment. "The image of you dying in front of me has haunted me for centuries, even though I _knew_ you were _really_ alive. If you go back and you _do_ die, I don't think I could live through it." Sesshoumaru finished, hanging his head down in an attempt to hide the tears that threatened to show themselves.

Kagome knew before he had finished his tale that time had effected the stoic demon lord tremendously. It would seem as if regret could change even the coldest heart. What she did not realize what how greatly he had cared for her back then, but it had been revealed by admitting that he too had gone into a rage. She knew that he would do _ANYTHING_ to keep her from returning through the well. As he had finished his account of the past, Kagome made no attempt to hide her tears. She knew she had to do something to ease his pain. She stood up and took a couple steps towards his chair, and kneeling down in front of him she reached out and took his hands in hers. "I'm so sorry, Sesshoumaru. I never knew that coming back here did that to everyone. If I would have known I would never have come back in the first place." Kagome told him as she began to cry.

Sesshoumaru reached out and placed one of his hands on the side of her face. When Kagome looked up at him, he knelt over and kissed her so lovingly that she couldn't bring herself to break it. She didn't know how it had happened, but she knew that he loved her. She'd been searching for three years to find someone that loved her besides her family, and here he was sitting right in front of her, the person being the one she least expected. After a few moments, he broke the kiss but did not back away. "I love you, Kagome. I loved you since the night you gave me back my arm but I couldn't bring myself to tell you. I know what's happening to you, I knew who was inside you from the time you told me your dream. I refused to take the chance of being wrong and decided not to tell you until I could see more of her in you. Time has taught me many things, Kagome. A cold shoulder does nothing to help the people around you. Sometimes you don't need to know everything before you try to do something. And my favorite, 'It is better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all.' I lost her once, and I lost you once, which means I've lost you twice and never took the chance to love you. This time, I created the opportunity to tell you, and now that I have I couldn't stand to lose you again. Answer this, did you accept the merge?" He questioned.

"She told me to have it explained to me by one of the tenshi here before I accepted or rejected." Kagome answered somewhat numbly, caught off guard by Sesshoumaru admissions, and the all around personality difference that age had caused.

"Tell me this, regardless of what I've told you, you plan on going back don't you?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"I have to try to take this pain away from you, and you know I can't leave everyone to that fate, knowing that I could change it. I know you can keep me safe, Sesshoumaru." Kagome told him, adding a smile at her last statement.

"I can explain the merge to you, but I have a request of you." He stated.

"What's that?" Kagome questioned.

"Come back to the estate with me, if I have not changed your mind in one day, I swear I will take you back to the well myself." He told her.

Kagome thought about it for a moment before answering, not sure what she was getting herself into, "Okay, Sesshoumaru, we'll go back with you, when one day has passed I'll decide if I'm going to stay longer, permanently, or go to the well. Please don't get your hopes up, because I will more then likely go back to the well." She told him, adding the last when she had seen the hope in his eyes.

"I'll accept those terms." He told her with a sad smile.

The four of them left the private sitting room, and Sesshoumaru began to lead them towards the back exit. Many looked at the cold demon lord with curiosity as he walked holding Kagome's hand with one and Rin's hand with the other while Kagome held onto Shippo's hand. They were halfway through the courtyard when Sesshoumaru froze in his tracks, and with a smooth motion released their hands and placed a hand on either of their backs, pushing them to the ground. Kagome was shocked when she heard a loud bang only a moment after they had hit the ground. She knew a gun had been fired, and searched for who had shot towards them. The instant after the sound of the shot faded she heard someone cry out 'hunters.' She knew what that meant and pulled both the children to her. She focused her attention at the man that Sesshoumaru was emitting a very feral growl towards. He was youkai, which explained how he had gotten inside this place. Sesshoumaru pulled out a gun in an instant and took aim towards the man. Kagome felt as if time froze for a moment, she could see another man on their side pulling another gun looking at Sesshoumaru. She needed a bow and needed one now.

"No!" She screamed, as a bow and arrow shimmered into existence in her hands. She took aim instantly and shot towards him, purifying him instantly.

Kagome's scream caught Sesshoumaru off guard and caused him to pause for a moment before firing back. It had proven just enough time to allow the man to fire again before falling to the ground and began to be purified. In a flash, Sesshoumaru was on his back holding his shoulder and biting back pain. Kagome moved towards him quickly and saw that the bullet was purifying him as well.

"No, Sesshoumaru, you can't die. No, no, no, no." She repeated as she held onto his shirt and tried to figure out what to do. She had to think quickly what she could do to stop the purification. "Reverse!"

Her scream echoed through the courtyard, and several were already running towards their location. Kagome felt a burst of power released from her shout and she felt the world begin to spin, she relaxed and let the darkness envelope her, knowing that Sesshoumaru was now unharmed. Kagome collapsed on top of him as soon as Sesshoumaru had felt the pain go away. He quickly sat up and checked her pulse, he was relieved to know that the burst of power had not killed her.

"She reversed a purification bullet?" Saniiro questioned Sesshoumaru.

"Indeed. Such a thing would be simple for one such as Hasan Netali." Sesshoumaru stated, knowing that it was the tenshi within that had come through in Kagome's time of need.

"Hasan Netali? Is that who she is merging into?" Saniiro questioned in shock, kneeling down and looking at the girl.

"Yes, and it seems as if six hundred years of dormancy has only made her stronger. I'm taking her home now, if anyone gets in my way, old friend, I'm liable to harm them, severely." Sesshoumaru warned him.

"I understand, my friend." Saniiro told him and then turned to the crowd that had gathered. "Everyone back away." He ordered motioning for everyone to clear a path.

As Sesshoumaru stood up, Rin held onto the side of his shirt and Shippo held onto the side of his pant leg and followed him out of the courtyard. All three of them listened to everyone whisper about how she had done the impossible. Sesshoumaru did not pay them much attention, his only concern was to get her somewhere that the hunters would have a very difficult time reaching. Once the four of them were inside the dark tinted car that had been waiting, Sesshoumaru instructed the children to sit across from him.

"I want to tell both of you something, and I may not get the chance to talk to you about this again. You understand why I want to keep her from going back through the well?" He questioned. Both children nodded their heads. "It probably won't succeed but I'm still going to try. In case you end up going back, I want you to know something. When you go back through the well, you're going to have to keep in mind that none of what happened this day ever occurred. That younger version of me you will face loves all of you, even you Shippo. It will probably take some time before I'll tell any of you that, but I want you to know it's true, even if I don't show it." He paused for a moment, trying to think of anything else that was important for them to hear.

"Is there anything we can do to make that you show it faster?" Rin questioned.

"I'm not sure." He stated and then paused for a moment while he considered her question. "When you lay down at night, make sure your blanket is close to me. Rin, when you pick flowers and take them to Kagome, bring them to me as well. Shippo, ask me to teach you how to fight with a sword. It will still take a little time, but that would help it go faster."

"What about showing momma?" Shippo questioned.

"I hesitated to let her know how I felt out of fear of rejection. I'm going to be near her as much as I can during the next day. With all of this fresh in her mind, I believe it will alter her actions towards me after you go back and that will be enough." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Is that why you wanted us to go home with you? If you show her you love her here, she won't be able to stop herself from showing you in the past." Shippo questioned.

"My plan exactly." Sesshoumaru stated with a smile.

"Give us a place to play and we'll stay away as much as possible." Rin told him happily.

"I already have a place for you prepared." Sesshoumaru answered.


	19. Part 2 Chapter 9

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Chapter 9 - Scars from the past

Kagome felt herself beginning to wake up and couldn't help but want to go back to sleep. She was still tired from using so much energy, but the reason she did not want to wake up was because she was laying on the most comfortable bed she had ever been on in her life. She could feel a soft blanket over her, and… an arm over her waist? It took her a moment to remember everything that had happened and relaxed again when she realized it was Sesshoumaru next to her. Wait… since when had she been so relaxed around him? She smiled to herself as she began to hear the contented purr that was coming from him, and she considered everything that he had told her about the past, once again becoming calm. Part of her told her to stay here, but an equal part of her told her she had to go back. She realized that the purring had stopped once she had calmed down and realized that Sesshoumaru was not asleep. She slightly rolled over to look over at him, and he moved back to allow her room to move as he continued looking at her.

"Rest well?" He questioned, knowing this situation was unnerving her.

"Yes, how long was I asleep?" She questioned, turning enough to see that his concealment spell had been removed. His hair was shorter then it was in the past, only reaching the small of his back. He wore a white pair of hakamas and an A-shirt.

"Almost two hours. If you are ready, we will go to the sitting room and I will explain what is happening to you." Sesshoumaru answered as he stood up from the bed.

"Okay, where are the children?" She questioned as she began to stand.

"Across the hall, playing in their room. We will not be far from them." He informed her.

She stood up and looked around the room. There was a wardrobe, dresser and a vanity in the room, all made from cherry and intricately carved. There were curtains partially hiding a sliding door that lead outside, and three doors that lead somewhere else. One of the destinations of the doors was answered as Sesshoumaru opened it to reveal the hallway. As they entered the hall he pointed towards the door that belonged to the children. Kagome also noticed that there was a door at the end of the hall, and one of her doors undoubtedly connected to his room. She wagered the other lead to a bathroom. They walked a short ways down the hall before Sesshoumaru opened another door and lead her into a sitting room. After they had sat down, Kagome waited for him to begin talking.

"Where to begin? I'm sure you already know that you will gain her memories?" He questioned. When Kagome nodded, and decided to elaborate what had been told to her.

"I asked her why she was trying to come back. She said that I needed her, her power would help me kill Naraku, her knowledge would give me the ability to provide for the children and protect them. All she asked in return was for the ability to keep her promise to you, which could only be done if we merged." Kagome informed him.

"She informed you of the basics then. Netali was an Inu-tenshi, and if you decide to merge with her, you will become one as well. I can't tell you how long it would take for her to teach you everything you need to know, but I don't believe it would take more then a couple weeks to the process to be complete." Sesshoumaru paused for a moment. "Her memories would feel like they belonged to you. Her knowledge and power would feel the same way, though she made have to teach you how to adapt to using it. During the process of merging you will be able to communicate with her, up to the point that she releases all of her power to you. She's only going to loose a little at a time while your body and mind adapt to it."

"What's the downfall to all of this?" Kagome questioned, knowing this was not all there was to say.

"As you remember everything through her eyes, you will feel the pain caused by them. You will inherit her scars, and when this happens you will feel the pain the wounds caused. You will feel everything she felt, the good and the bad." Sesshoumaru told her.

"What about the children?" Kagome questioned.

"They appear human because you have not accepted the merge. Once you accept it, the tenshi energy will be able to be felt stronger then it can be right now. In every case where there has been a child involved, the child's power is locked away and only becomes active once the parent teaches them." He answered.

"What else can you tell me about when I go back?" Kagome questioned.

"I can tell you that I do not know you are tenshi. Tenshi breeds hid themselves as youkai after the wars, I knew Shippo's energy was close to hers, but I believed she was inu-youkai." Sesshoumaru answered.

"So, I need to find a way to tell you. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, Sesshoumaru. I know I'll accept the merge, but I'm not sure if I should stay here to learn or go back. Every day that passes I take the chance of you giving up on me and no one being there when I get back." Kagome stated.

"I'm not sure how long we waited before we left the old miko's village, though I can tell you the direction took when we left. If you know that, at least you would be able to catch up to us. I can also tell you where he will be, I'm sure he will be located at the abandoned mansion I remember fighting him in." Sesshoumaru informed her.

Kagome sat in silence thinking about everything she had been told and trying to think of anything else that she needed to ask. Kagome stared across the room while she thought and in the corner of her eye, she took in Sesshoumaru's somewhat altered appearance. He sat relaxed in his chair, it surprised Kagome to see him so informal. He had lost very little of his muscle definition in his arms and chest over the years, though his body had filled out with maturity. Kagome then realized that she was starring at him in the corner of her eye and decided to turn her full attention to him. "I guess that's all I need to know. I need a mirror so I can talk to Netali." Kagome told him.

"I'll show you back to your room." He stated after a moment and stood up. Once they had left the room they took her back to the room she had been sleeping in. Upon opening the door, he paused for a moment, "Everything in this room belongs to you. I want you to at least be comfortable while you're here. I'm going to take the children outside for a while, there will be a maid close by to show you the way when you are ready to join us." He told her and began to step away.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome called, stopping him from going any further away. Kagome wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, for everything. In the past, and now."

Sesshoumaru smiled at her action and wrapped an arm around her waist, and moved some of her hair out of the way with the other. The touch on her face caused her to look up at him. He placed a chaste kiss on her cheek and felt her blush lightly. "You're welcome." He told her with a smile.

She stepped back and smiled back at him, and watched him turn around and walk to the children's room. Kagome closed the door and walked over to the vanity. Kagome cleared her mind of the kiss she could still feel on her cheek and focused on the mirror. Believing her mind was clear enough, she called out to Netali. The image of the woman she had seen the day before came to view in the mirror.

"I accept the merge, Netali." Kagome told her.

"I am glad." She stated with a smile. "I am going to show you my true face and then you will need to meditate on my face and I will begin to teach you everything you need to know." She concluded. Her face began to change, she could see black lines forming above and below her eyes. Her eyes changed to a darker color and silver speckles came into them. Silver streaks could be seen in her hair. "It is finished, memorize my appearance."

Kagome stared at the image for a minute and then it faded from the mirror. Kagome moved to the bed and sat down, focusing on the image that had been shown to her. She could feel energy coming to the surface from deep within her. It started in her chest and worked its way through the inside of her body, and then began to seep out through the skin. The energy she felt coming from her was a lot like her miko energy only it was less diluted. Kagome began to see images cross her mind as if she was recalling the past.

The memories of her childhood were happy, and she saw all of the faces of the people that meant the most to her, her parents, her guard, her nanny, one of the cooks. As she got older she began to learn how to fight from her guard, a man she had grown to admire as much as she would a father. When she got older she was sent to visit her uncle to learn how to rule the lands she would take over in a few short decades. She remembered all the fun her and her cousins had during the time they were there. She remembered beginning to learn how to blacksmith. She remembered following around her uncle to learn from him. The day she received the letter that her parents had been killed crossed her mind. She remembered fighting the army that had invaded the coast, and gaining her first scar. She remembered the gathering of the lord's and meeting Taisho for the first time. The time they spent talking about the way things were done in their cultures. It then struck her, the night her estate had been attacked, it had been Onigumo, the name that had been used before Naraku. She remembered Taisho holding her the last few minutes of her life.

The energy faded, but did not go away. Kagome stared across the room taking in everything that she had seen, it had struck her so hard to look up at the younger Sesshoumaru, his face streaked with tears as he begged her to hold on. Tears made their way down her face as she thought about that moment, and after she had become numb to the pain of the memories, she decided to get off the bed and move around for a little while. She wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed since she had first sat down. She began to walk to the door to leave the room when a strong pain struck her in her shoulders. It hurt so bad she didn't even hear the scream that came out of her own mouth. Her knees gave out on her and she fell to the floor, her arms crossed over her chest to hold a hand over her now bleeding shoulders.

Her mind was so wracked with pain she barely recognized Sesshoumaru sitting in front of her, prying her hands away from the wounds. Kagome watched numbly as her body shook from shock as Sesshoumaru removed the white haori he was wearing and began to wipe the blood from her hands, and opened her shirt to blot away the blood on her shoulders, only to notice that the bleeding had stopped. He pulled Kagome closer and bunched up the haori and held it over the back of her shoulders.

Kagome moved shakily and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Sesshoumaru," she began, her voice quivering.

She weakly pulled at his shirt to bring him closer, and couldn't find the words she wanted to say to him. He responded by lifting her closer to him and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Sesshoumaru gently rubbed his cheek against hers and she could hear the barely audible purr coming from him once again. Her body slowly ceased it's trembling and her mind began to clear once again. Once she had calmed down, he released his grip on her and slowly let her fall back, still held by his arms.

"You should wash up and change clothes, dinner will be soon. I've already explained to the children why this happened." Sesshoumaru told her, urging her to break out of the shell of the memories.

"Okay, I will. Thank you for explaining it to them." Kagome told him with a smile.

Sesshoumaru helped her stand up, and once he was sure she could stand on her own, he exited the room, closing the door behind him. Kagome had been shaky for a moment, but the pain was gone and so was the confusion. She decided to look through the wardrobe to see what she could wear after dinner. She found a light gray shirt that she liked, it front resembled a haori. The shirt had no shoulders, instead the collar wrapped round the neck and left most of the back opened. The front of the shirt folded over each other as any other haori, with a tie that went around the waist to hold it closed. She chose a darker gray pair of hakamas to wear with the shirt. Then she reached into the wardrobe and took out a pair of socks and some slip on shoes and made her way to the bathroom.

First to catch her eye when she walked around the screen that blocked the view was the recessed bathtub, next she noticed a corner shower not too far from the bathtub. There was a counter with a sink and mirror with a toilet next to it. She eyed the tub and smiled. She looked through the cabinets and found the towels, and other bathing necessities and made her way to her already running bath water. Once she had finished washing, Kagome laid back and relaxed in the warm water. She let her mind wander to what had just happened a few minutes ago, she had seen that she now had scars on her shoulders, but the pain was gone as if it never happened. _'Six hundred years has a way of numbing pain.'_ She considered. '_What happens now?_' She questioned within her mind. '_Go to a forge so that I can re-teach you how to craft blades._' Her mind replied. '_So we can talk like this now?_' Kagome questioned. '_The mirror is better, but yes, sometimes this works._' She responded. Having a game plan in order, Kagome decided that she needed to dress and think about making her way to dinner.

Once Kagome had dressed, she pulled her hair into a high ponytail. She didn't normally wear her hair like this but for some reason it just felt right. She walked out of her room and immediately heard the children playing across the hall. She walked to their room and quietly opened the door. Kagome did not expect the sight that greeted her. Shippo and Rin were standing in front of a sitting Sesshoumaru. Each of them was taking turns pouncing at him, and he easily deflected them. As he pushed each of them back, they burst into laughter. Kagome stood there and watched the game for several minutes before Rin noticed her.

"Momma!" She exclaimed and began running over to her. Shippo immediately turning and following.

Kagome knelt on one knee and braced for the impact of the two children running towards her. Sesshoumaru simply stood up and turned around. Much to her surprise, the children actually halted their running just as they came to her. She hugged them both and kissed their temple. The children backed away by a step and Shippo was the first to talk.

"Momma, is that why you were hurting?" He questioned, pointing to her shoulder.

"There's one on this side too!" Rin exclaimed.

"Yes, babies. It only hurt for a minute though, I'm okay now." Kagome told them and then noticed that Shippo had reached out to touch it, only to draw his hand back, "It's okay Shippo, you can touch it if you want to." Shippo moved his hand forward slowly and softly touched the scar and then looked up at Kagome, a weak smile on his face. "You didn't hurt me Shippo."

"I believe it is time for dinner." Sesshoumaru interrupted.

The four of them made their way to an informal dinning room, and the meal passed smoothly. Kagome was still somewhat unsure what was going through Sesshoumaru's mind. She knew that he intended to try to keep her from going back, but she was unsure what extent he would go to in order to do this. His personality had changed so drastically it almost seemed like this Sesshoumaru was a totally different person. Kagome had to remind herself what he remembered happening. She knew that such a thing could easily change a person, but she didn't know it would change them this much.

The children talked to Kagome all through dinner and described everything they had been doing since they had arrived. They had played in their room with all their new toys, ran around the garden for a couple hours, and then had played with Sesshoumaru in their room for quite a while. Kagome knew that they enjoyed being here, and she debated weather she should go back through the well. Sesshoumaru's words came to her mind, '_You are alive, the children are alive. Why must you tempt fate?_' Kagome could see the truth in his words. Once dinner was finished, Kagome took them to their room and got them dressed for bed. She was surprised to see all of the old style clothes in their wardrobes. Sesshoumaru must have decided not to get them modern clothes so that they would not be confused. '_He really did think of everything before we got here…_' Kagome commented to herself. Once they were in bed and asleep, Kagome left the room and was greeted by Sesshoumaru leaning against the wall across from the door. As soon as she had closed the door he held a hand out motioning towards the sitting room. '_Is he asking or telling?_' Kagome considered. '_Does it really matter? You'd do it either way…_' She chided herself.


	20. Part 2 Chapter 10

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Chapter 10 - Living up to her name

Sesshoumaru and Kagome resumed their seats within the sitting room. Sesshoumaru had sent for tea and the two sat in silence while they waited. Kagome's mind dwelled on the fact that the children were so happy here, and her indecision about what to do. It would be so simple, to just stay here; however, she was faced with the fact that she couldn't really just let the past stay as it was. Once the maid had brought in the tea, Sesshoumaru decided to break the silence.

"Something's bothering you." He simply stated.

For the first time since they had sat down, Kagome looked over at him, "It's the children." She stated, and then paused for a minute. "I've never seen them so happy. It would be so easy just to stay here, if only for their sake. And yet it's so hard to not try to change what happened in the past." Kagome stopped and thought for a moment. "If I wouldn't have been pinned against the doors, I could have killed Naraku. I didn't know then what I know now about him. I know how to make me and the children feel human in aura, he wouldn't have any idea that I've come back until it was too late." Kagome stated with a small smile. "Even with Naraku dead, life would never really be peaceful though." She stated, losing her smile.

"You intend to retake the south-west lands?" Sesshoumaru questioned curiously.

"No, no, no. I have a chance to stay out of the political world, and I intend on doing so. If it was anyone besides you that possessed the lands, I might. I'm not going to put that much distance between you and me. You are not the same person then as you are now, and with changing the event that made you this way I risk you never deciding to open your mouth. With me and the children near you, you may never say anything and simply leave us as friends." Kagome stated.

"You're thinking is very accurate, but you are not taking into consideration that you are no longer ignorant of how I feel." Sesshoumaru informed her.

"Yea, you're right, but it's not like I can just walk up to you and say, 'hey, I know you love me, so you don't have to be so afraid to show it.' You wouldn't react too well to that." Kagome responded with a laugh.

Sesshoumaru laughed as well, "You're right, that would not go over well."

"I also have to take into consideration that Netali has surfaced, and you became much more comfortable around me after knowing me for so long, so wouldn't that in itself change how you would react towards me?" Kagome questioned.

"It could, but as you said, I would most likely not risk losing the three of you all together." Sesshoumaru retorted.

"Well, I don't intend on living in the estate. My smithing skills gives me the ability to support us by myself, doing that, you wouldn't see us all the time like you do now. Maybe that would change how you acted towards us." Kagome stated.

"You have a point, but in order for that to work you would have to indicate your feelings towards me somehow before we parted company. If you didn't, I would simply believe you stayed close so that you did not take Rin from me." Sesshoumaru elaborated.

"Yea, you have a point. But I still have to decide if…" Kagome began, only to be cut off by a phone.

"Guardians, I have to answer…" Sesshoumaru stated before picking up the phone. "Yes?" He stated coldly. "That it correct." "Yes." "No." "It will be her decision, and I will bring her there." He stated and hung up the phone. He looked up at Kagome before speaking, "The oldest of the tenshi and the wisest of the guardians are all at the library. They want to meet you. You would understand why the Hasan name is legendary among the tenshi." He stated, almost making a question out of the last statement.

"Yes, I do. Have you heard of the clan of power?" Kagome questioned.

"I've heard the title, but no one has ever explained it." He answered.

"My uncle is the master of the clan of power, making the Hasan name part of the clan. The crook is one of the items of power. Speaking of which, do you still possess it, and the box?" Kagome questioned.

"I've had them both since the day you died." He answered.

"I would like to see what they want, but if I'm going to go, I want them to see me in the full magnitude of my title." Kagome told him.

"I will retrieve them and once you are dressed we will go, but I will not allow the children to go." Sesshoumaru commanded.

"I agree with that." Kagome stated and they both stood up to leave the sitting room.

Once Sesshoumaru had retrieved a box from his room, Kagome went into hers and opened the box. Inside she found the crook wrapped heavily in a cloth. She took the smaller box out and placed it on the floor before tapping it with the crook. The box immediately resumed its original size. From the box, she took out her formal dress and armbands, as well as her shoulder strap and cloak, and finally a dagger on a long chain. After she dressed, she clasped the chain to the metal belt worn around her hips and placed both of the crooks in the loops at each side. After sliding on the shoulder harness, she decided it was time to go out into the hall again. Sesshoumaru was already standing in the hall, wearing more formal clothing then he had been a few minutes ago. Sesshoumaru extended his arm to her and they made their way to the car that was already waiting for them.

When they arrived at the library, the driver pulled into a covered parking area at the back, and the two of them exited the car and made their way inside the building. Sesshoumaru guided Kagome along the halls until they came to a door with two people standing on either side. As soon as they had seen them they lowered their heads, and Kagome was unsure if they were acting this way towards him or her. When they entered the room she saw several people sitting at a table, and all of them stood up once Sesshoumaru had stepped to the side to reveal Kagome. She saw Saniiro in the room, and that was the only person in the room that she already knew. She nodded slightly at them, leaning on all of her experience of past. Kagome was new to this, but to Netali it was an every day occurrence.

"Master Hasan." One of the men stated, still standing. "I must inform you that we do not allow weapons within the conference rooms."

Kagome lifted a brow at the man, "If you think you can take it, go ahead and try." She stated with a very cold smile.

The man's countenance dropped as he realized that he had issued a challenge to the woman before him. He was unsure what to say. After a moment, Saniiro stood and spoke, "Kagome, these rules have been made for everyone's protection. It was not indented to be a personal assault against you."

Kagome decided to comply with the request and unhooked the chain from her belt and handed the dagger to one of the guards outside the door. "Why is it that you have asked me here?" Kagome stated after taking a seat next to Sesshoumaru.

"None of us are old enough to have known you, Master Hasan, your families presence was made known to us through our parents. We all wished to greet you personally, and the guardians wished to know more about your clan." The tenshi that had spoken first told her.

"So, am I to understand that I was invited here only to ease all of your curiosities about my family?" Kagome stated.

"Kagome," Saniiro began, "I already know that you do not know a lot about the war that's going on. You are, by far, the oldest tenshi to live in well over a century. We need your presence here. Sesshoumaru can vouch for the fact that we are losing the war. We have only survived this long because most of us have gone into hiding. We're not asking to pry into your personal affairs, we're asking you for help."

"Continue." Kagome told him.

"Jackals are the among the most violent breeds of canine that exist, youkai and tenshi alike. The hunters have gained the assistance of a couple jackal youkai. Jackal youkai bow only to the clan of power, we know that much about them, and to our knowledge you are one of the very few left from that clan." Saniiro explained.

"So, what is it you want me to do?" She questioned, wanting to know what he was thinking.

"If they knew you lived, they would leave the hunters and seek you out. We know where they stay, most of the time, and we could tell you when they are there." Saniiro offered.

"Or we could simply go outside." Kagome countered.

None of them knew what to think of her statement, so they were left at guiding her to the back of the building to another open area, but not before Kagome took her dagger from the man outside the conference room. Kagome took out the crooks and crossed them near her mouth, and issued a seemingly silent howl. The energy around everyone present quivered at the howl, and soon Kagome stopped and turned to the group. Sesshoumaru was the only one not affected by the shake.

"What did you just do?" Saniiro questioned.

"I issued a call-to-arms. Only a jackal can hear it and every jackal on the entire island will respond." Kagome answered sliding the crooks back into place.

Within a few minutes, Kagome heard two different calls from different directions. She knew at least two were coming. She issued a short cry to tell them where she was, and soon they were coming out of the shadows towards her. As soon as they were close, all three dropped to a knee, one male, one female and a young teen.

"Please forgive the insult, but prove to us it was you that called." The male asked.

"I forgive it." She stated as she held out the large crook.

The man smiled at the sight of the crook, "I am Hakim, this is Laren and Ramsee. I can tell you in truth that we are the only jackal youkai on the island." He stated, motioning to the woman beside him and young teen.

"Ramsee, with that name, you have much to live up to, young man." She stated.

"Did you know my grand-father?" The boy stated.

"Yes, I did, but I did not know he had a child." She answered.

"I was born after your death, Lady Netali." Hakim informed her.

"My name is Kagome now." Kagome informed him.

"Forgive me, Lady Kagome. I already know why you have called us. We will stop our assistance to the hunters, as our life belongs to you now." Hakim stated.

"Your lives belong to you, I will not accept them. I do not intend on staying here, but I wish for you to and for you to assist the tenshi here in their fight." Kagome informed them.

"Who is it that we should take orders from?" He questioned.

"Yourself, I will not give any here authority over you, all you need do is obey myself, and Lord Sesshoumaru. Besides that, all you need do is keep in mind that you are to help the tenshi and youkai fight against the hunters, weather you decide to stay here or not." Kagome told them.

"If there is a place here, we will stay." Hakim answered.

"You would be most welcome here." Saniiro stated.

"Unless there is anything else, I'm going home now." Kagome stated, turning around to look at the group.

"Thank you, Master Hasan. We will disturb you no more tonight." One of the guardians responded.

Kagome turned to look at her best friends only remaining family with a smile, "I hope that in the future, I will have the opportunity to get to know your family better."

"It would be an honor, Lady Kagome." Hakim replied while lowering his head.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru made their way back to the car. As soon as the door was closed, Kagome leaned against the side of the car.

"Are you alright?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"Yea, but using those crooks was not the easiest thing I've done today." Kagome stated.

"It should not take long for you to become adjusted to using them." Sesshoumaru offered. "In any case, once we return to the house, we'll call it a night."

"That sounds good to me." Kagome stated, looking over at him with a tired smile.


	21. Part 2 Chapter 11

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Chapter 11 - Skills of the Past

Kagome stared up at the ceiling in her room. Too many things were going through her head to be able to sleep. By mid-day she would have to decide weather or not she and the children would stay or go. She had just seen the surviving family of her long time guard and friend. She thought back on her life and almost found that things had been easier when she had been dealing with starving villages and assassination attempts. She had to laugh at herself for that comment. She knew the longer she laid her the worse it was going to be to make herself go to sleep. She needed to find a way to relax. She walked over to the wardrobe and took out a long robe to cover her white sleeping pants and tank style shirt. Kagome then decided to go out onto the balcony to see what she would find out there.

The view she found was breathtaking, she was looking directly out over a garden. She should have known this was there, she knew the layout of this property, but she hadn't expected it to stay the same for six hundred years. Kagome lent over onto the banister and crossed her arms. She then looked out over the garden. With the invention of lighting, Sesshoumaru had added small walkway lights throughout the garden, and had to admit that it was a very nice touch. She was defiantly not surprised when she felt Sesshoumaru's aura moving closer to her, any movement anywhere close to him always disturbed his sleep. If she had remembered that at the time, she would not have come out here. Something she had not known was that her balcony and his joined each other, but soon found out as he walked up behind her and crossed an arm over her to lay his hand on her shoulder.

"Can't sleep?" He questioned after standing with her in silence for several minutes.

"Too much to think about." She responded. "I do know one thing, I'm not going to be able to make a decision by tomorrow."

"You should know that you could stay as long as you need to." He answered.

Kagome reached up and placed a hand over his and gave it a light squeeze, "You've always been there when I needed help."

"I'm not going to pretend that I can help you with your decision, my prejudice would defiantly get in the way." He admitted.

Kagome laughed softly, "At least you're willing to admit it." She sat in silence, thinking with surprisingly clear thoughts. "Sesshoumaru? Do you still keep supplies in your forge?"

"Yes, you need to craft something?" He countered.

"Yes, I need to practice, and I also want to make Shippo and I a blade." She stated.

"I will allow it on one condition." He commented.

"Which is?" She questioned.

"You must take something of me to craft them, either claw or fang." He answered.

Kagome thought for a moment, "A lower fang for Shippo, a right claw for me. How's that?"

"Protection for Shippo and strength for you, I'll agree to that." Sesshoumaru answered.

They sat in silence again for some time before Kagome decided to speak, "Can I ask one more thing of you?"

"Anything." He answered.

"Let me stay with you? My mind is at peace while you're near." She stated.

"I would have let you even if you had not asked." He answered.

"Let's go to sleep then." Kagome stated, her need for sleep making itself known now that her mind had relaxed.

Sesshoumaru nodded and stepped back to allow her to move. Kagome stood straight and turned to look at him. After a moment, she turned and began to walk to his room. After entering the room Kagome had to look around, she had no memories of ever being in this room and knew where nothing was. Sesshoumaru walked past her and made his way to the side of the bed that he had decided to claim and Kagome followed a couple steps behind him. Sesshoumaru laid on his back, and Kagome cuddled up to his side, using his shoulder as a pillow. Immediately, Kagome could feel the rumble of a purr that showed his contentment. It amazed Kagome how open this Sesshoumaru was. He did not hide any meaning within his words. She had heard him laugh and seen him smile, something she had never seen in the past. During Netali's time, she had seen him smile, but it was always contained by formality. This Sesshoumaru acted just as any other person of this time. Unthinking, Kagome rubbed the side of her face against his chest.

Sesshoumaru had been surprised by her request. He had expected a lot of Netali's formality to come through in Kagome but it hadn't. Many nights, even though Netali had desperately wanted the comfort of his presence, she had turned from him and gone to her room, and dealt with all of her worries on her own. No one had ever stayed through the night in his room. He had only ever brought someone in to rut and then sent them away, and even that hadn't happened in years. Sesshoumaru had already concreted it in his mind that he would not take her until it was decided that she would stay here. He knew that taking her innocence could cause problems when she returned to the past. If she was going to return to the past, he wanted her to act differently towards his younger self, but he did not want it to be that drastic of a change. Sesshoumaru laid down on his back, which was not unusual, but this night he had done so to hide the couple of scars that were on his back. A fight had broken out only a week ago, giving him several wounds. The minor ones had disappeared in a couple days, but one had been deep and had yet to completely go away. Sesshoumaru wasn't sure what Kagome was thinking about, but he could feel her rubbing the side of her face against his chest. Her action, weather done consciously or subconsciously, stated that she wanted comfort. Without thinking, Sesshoumaru rolled onto his side and wrapped his other arm around her.

Kagome had been a little surprised when Sesshoumaru had moved, but then she realized that it was her fault that he had done it. She realized that a lot of inu characteristics were coming to the surface, and she wasn't thinking about what she was doing. The human part of her would never have asked for the comfort being wrapped in his arms brought, but the inu in her had known how to ask without words, and that was okay with her.

"Why is it that I've always been so comfortable around you?" Kagome asked in a whisper.

"Perhaps the fates decided that we were to be together." He answered.

"I'll buy that, I won't give much for it, but I'll buy that." Kagome stated with a smile, even though it was such a simple answer, it did have logic.

Sesshoumaru responded by leaning over and kissing her forehead. Neither one of them understood why they had been so comfortable around each other in the past. The bond they had to each other was one that would take a century under normal circumstances. Neither one of them had ever questioned it though; they had simply enjoyed each other's presence. They both fell asleep within minutes. Kagome comforted by the soft ruble from his chest, and Sesshoumaru comforted by the fact that he had only one more day to wait until she belonged to him.

Kagome woke in the morning feeling as if she had slept for a week. She had never felt so rested in her entire life. The first thing she noticed was that Sesshoumaru was already awake and out of the room. This was not unusual to her, she was used to him being awake long before anyone else. She looked over to the windows and saw that it was just becoming daylight, she was not used to waking up this early. She felt as if the children would be waking soon and decided to get to her room so that she could get dressed. She was planning on working at the forge, so she took out a shirt and hakamas that resembled yesterday's clothes; only this set was a darker gray. Once she was dressed, she made her way down to the kitchen to make sure breakfast would be done by the time the children woke up. She had an invisible ticker in her mind that seemed to be counting down to when they would wake up. She had to cough it up to her new inu motherly instincts.

When she entered the kitchen she found the cook already busy with breakfast, and as soon as she had been seen, the older woman turned towards her and smiled.

"Good morning, my lady. Breakfast will be finished shortly. The master wished for me to tell you that he was needed at work and would return around mid-day." The woman told her.

"Does he normally leave so early?" Kagome questioned.

"Normally, he will leave after dinner and come back around mid-day. Most of what he works on, normal humans cannot be there to see." She responded.

Kagome turned to go to the children's room, she knew they were waking up now. By the time she had made it to their room they were already out of bed and dressed. They both came to her, still rubbing their faces and hugged her good morning. Kagome took their hands and made their way down to the dinning room. Breakfast came shortly after their arrival, and Kagome watched the children eat while still half asleep. She couldn't help but laugh slightly at the sight of them, it looked as if they would fall back asleep any minute. It wasn't until they had all finished their meal that Kagome realized with dread that she had never called her mother yesterday. She quickly made her way up to her room, the children behind her, and turned on the phone that she had been given.

"Hello?" Her mother questioned.

"Hey mom, I'm sorry I didn't call yesterday, I didn't mean to worry you." Kagome told her.

"It's alright hunny, I was a little worried, but I knew you were alright. Where are you?" She questioned.

"Well, to make a long story short, I caught up with a friend from the past and we've been catching up." Kagome answered.

"Oh, okay. When are you going to be home?" Hiromi questioned.

"I'm not sure if it will be tonight or tomorrow mom, I'll try to let you know as soon as I do." Kagome informed her.

"Okay hunny, you get back to your company and I'll see you when you get back." She stated.

"Okay mom, we'll see you then. Love you." Kagome told her.

"I love you too dear." Hiromi stated, and then they both hung up the phones.

Kagome was a little surprised that her mother had not been worried to death, but then again she had been going into the past for three years now and had probably built up an immunity to worrying about her continually. She turned back to the children and informed them that they were going outside, and watched as they made their way outside in front of her. She knew her mother had not built up a tolerance for worrying about her, she knew that she would worry about her children for the rest of her life and knew her mother was the same. Kagome had lead them to the area near the forge, she had work she wanted to get done today and wanted them to be near. She looked around the work area and saw a claw and fang laying on the table. She knew that Sesshoumaru must have come out here and left them for her, and she was glad for it, she didn't want to wait until he had come back to begin work on the blades. The forge had already been fired, and was warm enough to begin work immediately. She knew Sesshoumaru must have done this as well. She looked over the worktable as her mind filled her in on everything that it contained. She had never seen a lot of these tools during her life, and knew that Netali was beginning to teach her. She saw a mold and a pouring spoon on the table and decided to look at them a bit closer. She tested the temperature of the mold and knew that it was cool enough to open. The mold contained a dozen bullets, she didn't know much about guns, but she was sure they went to the gun she had seen him carry yesterday. She knew by the aura from them that the metal had been mixed with one of his claws and she began to look for anything she could to place them in. She saw a bullet box off to the side of the table and opened it. She saw that there was half a dozen that contained a purity enchantment and even those had his nail in the metal. With his nail in the metal, he could touch them even after they had been enchanted, her memory told her. She saw a dozen more in there on the other side of the case that had no enchantment on them. She recognized the enchantment in the bullets and decided to test weather or not she could place it on the newly forged bullets. First, she had to file the tips of the bullets to smooth them. Once that was complete she held all of them in her hand and placed her other hand over them as well.

"Purify." She whispered, telling the bullets what she wanted them to do.

She immediately felt the aura change in the bullets and knew she had done it. With a smile she opened her hands and began to place them in the box. She could feel that her purity was much stronger then that in the remaining bullets, so she decided to take them out and add the enchantment to them as well as the others. Once all the bullets were in the box, she was surprised that she did not feel tired. She found the metal squares in a crate and the floor and took two of them out. She knew that in order for her to take a fang and claw from herself she would have to bring out the tenshi appearance. She found a mirror and had a pair of pliers ready and decided to get this part over with. She stared into the mirror and visualized the face she had seen in the mirror yesterday. She felt her hair move with an invisible wind and knew the shifting was beginning. She could see the dark lines beginning to appear above and below her eyes, she could feel her teeth and nails changing. She worked up her courage for a moment and then picked up the pliers. She looked over her bottom teeth and decided which one she was going to take. Kagome moved the pliers into place and closed her eyes and prepared. She wouldn't lie to herself, it hurt like hell when she pulled the tooth out, but the pain numbed fairly quickly. Next, she had to pull a nail and with that finished, she could now melt the metal. She found melting pots and decided to prepare hers first. She placed the metal within the pot and then placed it within the coals of the forge. While it was melting, she found a mortar and pistil and turned the two claws into powder. With the metal melted, she added the powder and mixed it. She set the pot to the side so that the mixture would begin to cool and took out a katana mold that she had ready. The mold was only a rough form of a katana, she knew that she would have to temper the blade for it to be shaped properly. Once the metal was within the mold, she set it across from her to cool and began to prepare the mixture for Shippo. She had found a seppuku mold and knew that it was close enough for her to use for his blade. She would have to do some shaping on the blade, but it could be done.

While both of the molds cooled down, Kagome looked around for wood so that she could carve the sheathes for the blades. She found several pieces that she liked, but she had not asked Sesshoumaru about making sheathes, so she simply set them to the side. A sheath would not take long to make, within an hour she could make both of them. Turning back to the molds, Kagome decided to begin the very hot and tiring job of tempering the blades. Shippo's blade had to be done first, since she had to reshape the metal. After nearly an hour, she was setting the blade to the side. All that was left was sharpening the blade. She then turned to her blade and began her work. Every time she had to set her blade within the coals to warm back up, Kagome reheated Shippo's blade to further strengthen the sword. Once both blades were ready to be sharpened, turned to gather the rings and hilts for the blades only to find two curious children sitting quietly watching her every move.

"The two of you are supposed to be playing." She told them with a smile.

"We've never seen a sword made before so we decided to watch." Rin stated excitedly.

Kagome smiled at the two children and turned back to what she had been doing. She laid the sword on its side and placed the ring over it, and then lined up the hilt. Since she had already heated the metal, it did not take much to tap the hilt into place. With both swords finished, she picked up the first and took it to the sharpening wheel. Kagome had not realized how much time had passed until she felt Sesshoumaru's presence approaching the forge.

"Have you already made the sheathes?" He questioned.

"Not yet, I realized that I didn't ask what I should use." Kagome informed him.

"Good, they are already made." Sesshoumaru answered. Kagome could hear him walking behind her towards the table and knew what he was going to do.

"I already emptied your mold, they're in the box." She stated, never stopping her current task. "If you would have clipped your nails, I would have made more."

"You overwrote the enchantment. If STL knew that you can forge, you'd have a full time job, you know that right?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"Why do you say that, they've had someone to forge up until now." Kagome stated.

"Six hundred years ago you were one of the few that had the skill to reforge blades, that skill is unheard of these days. The ability to forge at all is highly prized. Many youkai have locked away their blades because of their need of a smith." Sesshoumaru informed her.

"You don't need any reforged do you?" Kagome questioned.

"No, when I locked my blades away, they were still intact." He answered.


	22. Part 2 Chapter 12

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Chapter 12 - The Underground War

With the blades complete, Kagome handed them to Sesshoumaru. She did it out of habit more then anything, she had always handed the blades to him when she was finished with something. He looked over them approvingly and then walked to the side of the forge and took out two sheathes. He slide the swords in place and then turned back to the group.

"So, are you interested?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"I could help them while I'm here. They would have to understand that my help is more then likely temporary." Kagome answered.

"Deal." He told her with a smile while he took out a cell phone and dialed a couple numbers. "Saniiro." He stated, and then there was a pause for a minute. "Hey, fire the forge, I have a smith willing to help you temporarily." Another pause. "Half hour, have any broken blades on the table." He then hung up the phone.

"I guess we're ready to go." Kagome stated as she took off the forging apron and laid it on the table.

"We get to go?" Rin questioned.

"Of course you do." He answered.

Kagome knew she'd been suckered, both by the children and by Sesshoumaru, and all she could do was smile and shake her head. He was trying to get her involved with life in this time so that she wouldn't go back through the well. So far, he was doing a very good job at it. She was very glad that she had worn a belt beneath her hakamas and had slid her crooks into their loops before coming out here. The car ride passed quickly as each of the children told Sesshoumaru their account of watching her at the forge. As they exited the car half an hour later, Kagome pulled both of the children close to her.

"You two stay close to one of us, okay?" She questioned.

"Okay momma!" They both answered.

Sesshoumaru lead them from the garage through one of the buildings and took her to a courtyard she had not seen before. There were nearly a dozen tenshi and youkai around the area, and what surprised her the most was that they did not have concealment spells active. Kagome was greeted by the site of a large forge with Saniiro was standing near it.

"Master Hasan, I was unaware of the fact you were skilled at the forge." He stated.

Saying her name had stopped several tenshi in their tracks and they turned to look at her, "There's a lot you don't know about me Saniiro." She responded and turned to look over the tables. One blade that was laid out on the table looked very rough, and was missing some small shards. "Whose blade is this?"

"His." Saniiro stated, pointing to a falcon youkai.

"Call him over here." She instructed.

"Ketaro!" He shouted.

The man came over to the forge, and once he had bowed to Sesshoumaru, his attention turned to Kagome, "How can I be of assistance?" He questioned.

"Which hand do you carry that sword with?" She questioned.

"Left." He answered.

"Take your left shoe off." She stated as she walked over to the tools and picked up a pair of nail clippers. She knelt down and clipped a couple nails before turning back to the table. "Stay close." She turned the nails into powder and then added them to a melting pot. "Over here." She called him, and once he was standing next to her, she continued to talk. "Prick a finger on your left hand." Once he had done so, Kagome allowed several drops of blood to fall into the bowl. "That's all I need." She told him, and he exited the forge area.

Kagome sighed, she was going to have to alter to her inu shape since she didn't have the strength to forge for such a long time in this one. Once she had changed, she took out a block of metal and placed it in a separate melting pot. As the waited for the metal to melt, she turned and saw Sesshoumaru and the children a short distance away playing the game he had played with them last night. Again, she couldn't help but smile at the sight. Saniiro was still standing beside the forge, and Kagome decided to get some information from him.

"Saniiro. Who enchanted Sesshoumaru's bullets?" She questioned.

"Reva, the dragon you meet last night. Why?" He questioned back.

"It's a weak enchantment, how many boxes do you have already done?" She asked.

"We have a couple ammo boxes full." Saniiro answered.

"Bring them here, I'll overwrite them." She stated.

"Okay." Was the only response she could muster before turning to fetch the items.

With him gone, Kagome decided to turn back to her work. Once the hilt was tapped off of the blade she took out a katana mold and placed all of the shards within it. She was glad that it fit the mold perfectly. She took the mold near the forge and began heating each of the larger pieces, once that was finished, she mixed the metal and power together and added the new metal to the mold. Once all of the metal cooled enough to take from the mold, Kagome began reshaping the blade so that the seams from the new metal couldn't be seen. It took her nearly an hour to retemper the blade and to sharpen it, and when she turned around she was greeted by Saniiro and Reva standing near half a dozen ammo boxes.

"I thought you said a couple. That, Saniiro, is not a couple." She told him with a small smile. Kagome handed the sword to Saniiro, who in turn began taking it to Ketaro. She walked over to the boxes and opened the lid on the first. "Oh, boy." She stated to herself as she looked down at the box, she had to find a better way to enchant them then one box at a time. A plan formed in her mind, and she smirked. Only her true tenshi form had the power to do them all in one shot, and even then she would need a crook to do it. She concentrated on releasing all the locks that this form had and soon she felt wings materializing on her back. Everyone besides Sesshoumaru and the children had turned to look at her. She took out the crook and touched it to the top of the box. "Purify." She instructed. A massive amount of energy went out through the crook and distributed itself among all the boxes, and Kagome was glad that she had knelt down to do this. She felt her earth sway a little at using so much energy. When it was finished, she tucked the crook back beneath her clothes, and retook her human appearance.

Kagome moved to a chair near the edge of the forge's building and sat down, watching the children play. Her ears picked up the whisperings around the courtyard and soon Saniiro was standing near her.

"You surely don't have to worry about anyone present ever crossing you, not after that display." He stated, still a little shocked.

"You weren't kidding when you said I was the oldest that had been around in a long time. Exactly how old is the oldest of you?" She questioned.

"I am two hundred and thirty seven." Reva stated.

"I was one hundred seventy three when I inherited the south-west lands, and that was around six hundred years ago." Kagome informed them.

"With all that power you where still brought down?" Saniiro questioned.

"If my power impresses you, you can't imagine the amount of power it took to bring me down. You can thank him for that creatures death." Kagome stated looking over at Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru? None of us have ever seen him truly fight." Saniiro stated.

"That man is the only person I've ever stalemated against in a spar." Kagome stated, more in the past then she was in the current time.

"He acts as if those children belong to him." Reva stated.

"He does, doesn't he?" Kagome responded with a smile.

Having dwelt enough in the past, Kagome stood and began her work in the forge again. Two other blades were laid out on the table and thankfully they were not missing any of their metal. The first blade took about an hour to complete, and Kagome was surprised to hear a voice behind her.

"I do not believe a freight train could wake those children." Sesshoumaru stated.

"I'm surprised you're not crashed out beside them." Kagome responded with a slight laugh.

"You're not the only one." He replied. "What do you think of it here?" He questioned after a moment.

"They need a lot of help. More then I can give them in one afternoon. Even Hakim is going to have trouble evening out these odds."

"What do you intend to do?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

Kagome turned around to face him, her blade now complete, only to see Saniiro sitting a short distance from him, listening to their conversation. Saniiro knew they were in trouble, but hearing the elder tenshi's words caused him to lower his head.

"Saniiro, now that the jackals work with you, what is your biggest problem?" Kagome questioned.

"The hunters have research facilities they use to study us. If they could be broken into, their work sabotaged, and those held within them released. They would be set back enough for us to have an advantage." He answered.

"You're telling me that they have tenshi held prisoner?" Kagome questioned, realizing more of what they were up against.

"Yes, some of their bullets will put a tenshi to sleep. That's exactly what they were trying to do yesterday to you. You or Sesshoumaru would be a high prize to them, they've never successfully captured someone your age." Saniiro explained.

"Being held prisoner is the least of things that happen to the tenshi or youkai that are held at those facilities. I was captured over a century ago, it took several months for me to get out, but I know from rumors that they are as brutal now as they were then." Sesshoumaru offered.

"If that's the least, what else do they do?" Kagome questioned.

"I'd rather leave details out, but I'll tell you this. To them, we are no greater then animals." He answered.

Kagome stared at her children for several minutes, thinking about everything she had been told. Her children were in danger here, and she knew nothing about her enemy. "Sesshoumaru, I'd like to take the children home."

"As you wish." He stated and turned to gather the children.

"Saniiro, I have a lot to think about, that's why I'm not answering you now. Let me learn more then I know now, and I'll see what I can do." Kagome told him as she approached the children.

Sesshoumaru picked Rin up and Kagome carried Shippo. Soon they had made their way to the car and were on their way home. Sesshoumaru had been somewhat surprised that she had referred to his house as home. He hoped that maybe she had decided to stay. Once the children were in bed, the two of them made their way to the sitting room.

"I'm going to have to leave again in the morning, would you rather stay here or go elsewhere?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"I'd like to go to my mom's, she hasn't spent much time around the children." She informed him.

"You're not going to disappear on me are you?" He questioned.

Kagome shook her head. "If I decide to go back, I'll wait for you to get there."

"I leave here at nearly five in the morning." Sesshoumaru informed her.

"Okay, the kids are going to wake up early, they didn't eat any dinner." Kagome stated.

"They ate while you were working, that's what put them to sleep." Sesshoumaru commented.

"Oh, is that why it was so easy?" She stated with a small laugh.

"It was." He stated with a smile of his own.

"Sesshoumaru, I can't help but think that things now would be a lot different if I had been with you in the past. I don't really want to leave, and I know the children don't either. I want, so badly, to take the centuries of hell away from you." Kagome told him.

"I can understand your reasoning, and now I have your answer." He stated with a small smile. "I'd rather have the past remain the same then take the chance of you or the children being harmed."

Kagome could feel herself wanting to cry at his words, "I haven't completely made up my mind yet, that's why I said I'd wait for you to come to mom's tomorrow."

"I know working at the forge took a lot out of you, we should call it a night after dinner." Sesshoumaru stated.

"You didn't eat with the children?" She questioned.

"I did, but I know you have not ate." He commented.

"I'm not all that hungry." Kagome responded.

"Then let us retire for the night." Sesshoumaru replied.

Kagome nodded and they both stood up. They each went to their rooms and the first thing on Kagome's mind was taking a bath. She soaked in the bath for half an hour before deciding to get out and get dressed. Her tired arms felt much better, but she was still soar. When she left the bathroom she took out her nightclothes and sat down on her bed. She stared into nothing as she tried to decide what to do. Kagome let the bed and placed everything that she had taken out back inside the chest and shrank it before placing it and the crook on the dresser. Unable to get any peace, Kagome decided to go to the one place she knew she could be calm.

Kagome walked through the door that lead to Sesshoumaru's room as silently as she could, and saw that he was already laying down. She realized that he must have been quiet tired, not having any idea how long he had slept the night before. She walked towards the bed quietly, and began to lay down. Faster then her mind could process, she was on her back laying on the bed. Sesshoumaru was on top of her, his legs straddling hers, and all she could see was red eyes and felt a blade at her side. The red left his eyes as fast as they had gained it.

"Kagome." He sighed, lowering his forehead down to her and pulling the blade away from her.

"I didn't mean to startle you." She told him in a whisper.

"It's okay. Did I hurt you?" He responded.

"No." She answered.

Sesshoumaru moved himself off of her and laid down beside her. Within a minute, the two were curled up together, both getting much needed sleep. Kagome woke up to a hand brushing the side of her face.

"What time is it?" She asked, still half asleep.

"4 O'clock." He responded.

Kagome grounded and wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. She sighed heavily and rolled off the bed, and was somewhat surprised at the fact that she didn't hit the floor. She rubbed her eyes for a minute in order to wake up and then looked over the room. Kagome heard water running in the other room and knew that Sesshoumaru was taking a shower. '_Good idea,' _she thought, _'he must have been doing this for a while.' _ She made her way back to her room and took out a set of clothes. As she was getting dressed, she noticed that the scars on her shoulders were beginning to get much lighter and she was happy for that. Once she was dressed, she walked over into the children's room and got them both awake, but had to help them get dressed. It was way too early for them to wake up entirely. Soon enough they were all in the car and both children curled up and went back to sleep.

"If you need to call me, for any reason, here's my cell number." Sesshoumaru informed her, handing her a card. "Saniiro's number is there as well, only call it in case of an emergency. The other, is a guardian number, it is not the reception desk at STL."

"Okay." She responded and tucked it away in her clothes, still too asleep to form much more to say.

Soon they were pulling up to her mother's house and each of them collected a child to carry inside. Hiromi was already awake, which surprised Kagome, but then again she had no idea how early her mother woke up she was always awake when Kagome got out of bed. She had been surprised to see them but had quickly opened the door to allow them to bring the children inside. Once the children were laid down within Kagome's room, they made their way back down to the dinning room. Kagome quickly introduced her mother to Sesshoumaru before he had to leave. When she had walked him to the door, he had turned and kissed her before walking away from the door. Kagome stared after him for a few minutes before returning inside.

It had not been one of the easiest things she'd ever done, but Kagome explained to her mother what had happened in the short time she had been away, both about Sesshoumaru and about her and the kids. Hiromi had not been too terribly surprised, both she and her grandfather had known about STL. Neither of them were considered guardians, but they did help them with information here and there, and thus knew of the underground war. As much as Hiromi had wanted to, she could offer no help to Kagome as to what she should do. She and her mother had decided that she should pack things as if she were going to either place and once she had decided what to do, move those bags near the door, and Hiromi would put away the set of bags that had not been chosen. Once the children woke up again, they ate breakfast and quickly wanted to go play games on the TV. Kagome went into the room with them and spent the day thinking about what she should do.

--

Again, Kagome paused as the images flooded her mind, she had not thought about all of this for a long time. More of the room's occupants had turned to face her while she relayed her story. Yet again, her son decided to interrupt her story.

"I did not know you had other children, mother." The young man stated

"My son, this story will take the rest of my life if you do not stop interrupting. You have yet to hear even half of my tale." Kagome informed him.

"How much more can there be?" He questioned.

"Listen and you shall find out." She stated and the room once again returned to silence.


	23. Part 3 Chapter 1

Part 3 - Into the past I go

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Chapter 1 - Return to the past

Once Sesshoumaru arrived at the house, the two of them walked outside for a moment, and Sesshoumaru spoke first. "I saw bags packed, but that doesn't tell me much."

"I'm going through the well." She informed him.

"If you are going to leave, I'm going to make sure you get there safe. This is not negotiable." Sesshoumaru informed her.

"I know I can't talk you out of it, so, I guess lets go. I'm going to warn you first, I don't know what this is going to do to you." Kagome responded.

"I am making sure that my past does not repeat. I care about you being face to face with me before I leave, after that, I do not care." Sesshoumaru stated.

Sesshoumaru walked inside with her and took the bags out to the well. Kagome said her good-byes to her family, and lead the children outside. Once within the well house, Sesshoumaru picked up Kagome and knelt down so that the children could climb on. A moment later he was standing up and jumping through the well. Once they had landed in the past, Sesshoumaru jumped out of the well and landed softly at the surface.

"Oh fuck, now there's two of you?!" Inuyasha yelled upon seeing them, drawing Sango's attention, thankfully the two of them were the only ones present.

Sesshoumaru knelt down to release his passengers. Once he was standing, he decided to respond to his brother, "I'm glad to see you as well, little brother." He stated, turning his head towards Inuyasha.

The older Sesshoumaru began looking around the area and once he found his query, he moved so fast everyone thought he disappeared. It wasn't until he formed in front of his younger self and punched him in the jaw that anyone knew he was still there. The younger Sesshoumaru went flying back at the impact, and Kagome immediately screamed for him to stop and began running towards them. As soon as the younger Sesshoumaru was on his feet again, his poison whip came out and went against the older youkai he saw in front of him. It was met by two whips, one from each hand. One blocked the attack while the other wrapped around the younger youkai and pulled him towards the older.

"If you can't keep them safe, then you need to step away." He whispered with venom.

"What are you talking about?" The younger questioned.

"My memory says that after a week you gave up waiting on Kagome and went after Naraku without her. By the time we caught up to Naraku, he had her. He killed the children and then killed her in front of all of us, and she never knew what you felt, think about that." The older revealed in a whisper.

"Sesshoumaru, let him go." Kagome demanded as she got closer, and Sesshoumaru complied.

"I said everything I came to say…" Sesshoumaru began turning from his younger self, but paused as he was hit by pain.

Sesshoumaru held his hand to his chest and fell to a knee. "Sesshoumaru!" Kagome called as she started to run again. "I told you that you shouldn't come back with me. We have to get you to the well!"

As soon as the children had seen him go down, they began running towards them. Beginning to cry almost instantly as they called out to him. After looking at the children for a moment, who were being held back by Sango, the older youkai looked up at Kagome, who was trying to stand him up. "I delivered you to my younger self, and said all that needed to be said. If I die, at least I know he will not live through what I have, and that is acceptable."

"That's why you demanded to bring me through? Oh, Sesshoumaru, if you weren't dying, I'd hit you." Kagome stated, beginning to cry.

"Such a kind and loving person you are, Kagome." The older stated with a laugh.

"I can't touch him can I?" The younger questioned.

"No, that's what's killing him." Kagome stated, turning around to look at him, desperation in her eyes.

"Inuyasha, help him!" He called out pointing to the older man. Inuyasha stood frozen. "Please."

Hearing his brothers cry for help, Inuyasha immediately began to move. He had never ASKED him for anything, and he wasn't about to turn his back on him now. Inuyasha had him halfway to the well when Sesshoumaru was hit by another pain, and even with the support of Inuyasha and Kagome, he went to a knee again. They got him back to his feet, and once they were almost to the well, Sesshoumaru made them stop.

"Come here, quickly." He told the children, whom Sango released immediately. Once he had his arms around them, he spoke again, "Remember everything I told you, okay?"

"Okay, but we don't want to leave you." Rin cried in response as he removed his arms from them.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere. Take a look behind me, I'm right there." He told them.

As the children were looking at the shock stricken younger Sesshoumaru, the older Sesshoumaru communicated to Inuyasha with a nod. Inuyasha knew what he wanted and grabbed him and jumped through while the children were distracted. As the well began to glow blue, the children noticed what had happened and immediately began to run for the well. Kagome knelt on the ground and pulled them to her. Both of them were reaching out for him crying for him to come back. Kagome burst into tears, she had not realized that it would be this hard on them to leave him. The choice had been made however, and there was no going back. Sesshoumaru watched the display, unsure what to do. Finally, he walked forward towards the three of them and knelt on one knee and placed a hand on either of their shoulders. The children turned and saw him and immediately hugged onto him, continuing their cries.

When Kagome felt the children move she opened her eyes and looked up from her own crying. After the children had latched onto Sesshoumaru, he looked up at her and motioned that he was taking them away. She nodded at him and he began to leave. Sango immediately walked to her friends side and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, Sango. He was willing to die just to make sure we got back safe." She said as she hugged her adoptive sister and continued to cry.

Within a few minutes, Kagome let go of Sango and the two of them sat there in silence. Kagome occasionally sniffled from crying so hard. Not long after, Sesshoumaru came back towards the well and sat down a short ways from the women. Kagome wasn't sure how long it took, but soon Inuyasha came back through the well with the bag that had been left in her time.

"Oi, took him a little while, but he's alright." He paused for a moment before talking any more, "He, uh, wanted to talk to me for a while, that's why it took so long. Come on, Sango, let's go back to the village."

As Sango began to stand, unsure why Inuyasha wanted her to leave, Kagome spoke, still looking towards the ground. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

"No, biggie." He stated with a shrug and lead Sango away.

The area fell silent for some time, Sesshoumaru was trying to figure out what his older self could have revealed to his brother to have effected him so much, and to have made him pull the slayer away. The entire situation confused him. Kagome was thinking about how much it had hurt the children for him to leave. After a few minutes, Kagome decided to speak, "How are they?"

"Asleep. I am unsure weather I made the situation worse or not." He stated.

"Someone once told me, 'you don't have to know everything before you try to do something." Kagome told him.

"Wise words." Sesshoumaru stated.

"I have a lot to fill you in on." Kagome stated, somewhat numbly.

"It would seem so." He responded.

"I know what's happening to the three of us. It's not the easiest thing in the world to explain, but Netali kept her promise. Do you have what I left with you?" She questioned.

Sesshoumaru reached into his sleeve and pulled out a cloth and handed it to Kagome. "How could you have kept that promise?"

"We may have known each other for years, but there are still things about me that I couldn't tell you then. I'm not sure how you're going to take this, but I've hidden this all my life. I'm not youkai, Sesshoumaru, I'm tenshi. My family hide that fact since the youkai-tenshi wars began. I wanted to tell you a hundred times, and I hope you can understand why I didn't." Kagome decided to pause for a minute.

"I can understand, even with knowing that, you're still the same person I knew." Sesshoumaru commented.

"I'm glad you see it that way. My whole life I was told that if youkai knew what I was they would attempt to kill me regardless of how long I'd known them. As far as everything else, I've been trying to relearn everything I used to know. I need time to readjust to everything before we face Naraku." Kagome told him.

"How long do you need?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"A couple weeks should be enough." She answered.

"We will remain here for a week before we start looking again." He answered.

"I know where he's hiding." Kagome stated, and saw the question on his face. "You told me. That brings me to something else. The children are probably going to act a little different towards you, but don't think they're doing it because you are him." She stated, motioning towards the well. "They know the difference."

"If they cared so much about that me, why come back?" He questioned.

"To change what you had to live through." She answered.

"You came back knowing that you could die, why risk it?" He questioned further.

"You're pack, Sesshoumaru, alpha! Stop looking at me as a human, I'm inu now. He told me things that happened to you that I would do anything to change." Kagome told him, beginning to cry as she finished.

Sesshoumaru sat there for a moment, trying to understand what had broken her to the point of crying. His older self had told him that he had witnessed her death and he had never told her how he felt. It was true, he had started caring about Kagome when she had given him his arm back. He knew if he did not do something to change what he had done so far, he would regret it in the future. Still, he was not ready to risk losing them. Sesshoumaru stood from his present location and walked towards the crying woman. He knelt in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He had not expected her to launch forward and wrap her arms around his shoulders, but he had returned her hug anyway. After a few moments, she began to release him and he did the same.

"Let us go back to the others." Sesshoumaru stated, standing up extending a hand down to her.

She took his hand and let him help her stand, "Good idea. I need to go through my things."

When they returned to the group, Kagome saw Sango sitting with Miroku, both of whom looked at them while they approached. Inuyasha was sitting up in his tree, not unusual. The children were awake and continuing the game Sesshoumaru had shown them, but Koga and the others were no where to be seen.

"Where's Koga?" Kagome questioned.

"They did not wish to stay this close to the village, they said they were going to a den that was close by. I will send Inuyasha to smell them out when we are about to leave." He answered.

"I know where it is, it's about an hour that way." She stated, pointing out into the woods. "You forget, I remember these lands now."

"Once Naraku is dead, we will formalize you retaking your lands." Sesshoumaru told her.

Kagome shook her head, "I don't want them back. I'd rather just stay beside you."

"If you decide otherwise, I wish for you to tell me." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Oh, believe me, I won't change my mind. I'm not Netali, I don't want her life, I want mine. She may have given me her memories and her blood line, but it's still my life. I already have everything that I want from that life back." Kagome informed him.

"I'm glad you see it that way." He responded.

Kagome looked over at him, a little surprised to hear more emotion coming from him. He was looking at her with a slight smile. Kagome couldn't help but smile back at him. "I'm going to visit Kaede for a few minutes."

Sesshoumaru only nodded at her as he made his way to his position where he could watch over the entire group. Sango looked as if she wanted to join her, and Kagome nodded her approval at her sister. Once the two of them were away from the group, she decided to talk.

"What happened while you were at home?" She questioned.

"A lot Sango, a lot. It's going to take a long time to explain it all." Kagome informed her.

Until they reached Kaede's hut, Kagome shared what had happened with the older Sesshoumaru, leaving out that Naraku had killed all but him in their fight. Sango looked at her sister sympathetically as her story ended.

"It must have been hard to come back, but I'm glad you did." She told her, wrapping an arm around her.

The two women entered the hut to find Kaede sitting in the floor preparing herbs that she had gathered, "What brings ye both to my hut?"

"Well, I wanted to tell you a couple things, and I also needed a place to change clothes." Kagome told the elder miko.

"What is it ye wish to tell me child?" She questioned.

"Well, it's not so much tell you, but I wanted to show you something." She informed her. Kagome gathered her energy around her and shifted her appearance to that of her past. While she was changing, Kagome heard something drop to the floor.

"Hasan-sama? How is this possible?" The elder miko questioned.

"I swore to Sesshoumaru that I would return and so I have. I knew that you would know me, your ancestor Kimi would have made sure of your families knowledge of me. Now you understand why I had such untapped power in me, it belonged to Netali." Kagome stated and then turned back to her human self.

"Hasan Netali? Even my village knew that name." Sango added shocked by the display as well.

"That's right. I came to your village for help once." Kagome commented, remembering the past. "That's enough of the past, I'm still Kagome I always will be, I'm just stronger now, and remember a few extra things." She stated with a smile.

Kagome placed the small box on the floor and unwrapped the crook. She then enlarged the chest and opened it. She took out her harness and cloak, her metal belt for beneath her hakamas, as well as her bow and quiver. Once she was wearing all that she had taken out, she shrank the chest and returned it to its small pouch and tied it on her belt. She slid her crook into her loop, where it couldn't be seen. When she turned around she saw Sango and Kaede looking at her.

"What's wrong?" She questioned.

"All of that just seemed so second nature, Kagome." Sango stated.

"I guess it's going to take everyone a little while to get used to this hu?" She questioned.

"More then likely, don't change because of us, just be yourself and we'll adjust. I'll take care of explaining all of this to houshi-sama." Sango stated.

"Okay, thank you. Oh yea, I almost forgot to tell you about Shippo and Rin, what we said was happening is wrong, as you can already guess… What's happening to them is because of them being tenshi." Kagome stated.

"Hasan-sama was a tenshi?" Kaede questioned.

"Yes, but keep that to yourself. Youkai and tenshi are still at war somewhat." Kagome told them.

"We won't tell anyone Kagome." Sango told her.

"Sango, there's one more thing. Next time we see Kohaku, I'll be able to release him from Naraku." Kagome offered.

"How?" Sango questioned full of excitement.

"The details aren't important, I just have to have him within hands reach." She informed her. "We'll be back later, Kaede, if you need me, send someone to us."

"I will child, thank ye." The elder miko stated.

The two women walked out of the hut, and Kagome noticed that several people were looking at her differently. They made it back to the group within a few minutes, and Kagome spent the next couple hours watching the children play and looked over the rest of the group.

Kagome let her mind wander to the memories of Netali. She had been trying to come back for six hundred years, and no one had been willing to help her, several miko's had carried the tenshi soul and only one of them had been willing to help. Leta, daughter of Kimi, had refused because she had despised the fact that a divine being such as a tenshi would want to rejoin what she considered an evil being. Satiko, daughter of Leta, had the opinion that the dead should stay dead, not understanding that Netali had bound herself to the living word by her oath to return. Kimi, daughter of Satiko had also refused due to her desire to rejoin the company of the demon lord. Sati, daughter of Kimi had not lived long enough to be questioned, having died in childbirth. Emishi, daughter of Sati had resented the miko life because of her mothers death, and would have nothing to do with the tenshi. Kikyo, had been too involved with her life and her want to rid herself of guarding the shikon to consider, and her wish to rejoin the demon lord had only concreted her disregard. She had spent several lives in the background never making herself known because people had forgotten the tenshi. Then came Kagome, daughter of Hiromi, had needed her and had not cared where it had come from, and she had accepted. Kagome's mind came back to the present and found that it was almost time to make dinner.


	24. Part 3 Chapter 2

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Chapter 2 - Legends of the Past

Kagome and Sango made dinner for everyone. Kagome continued with her habit of taking Sesshoumaru's to him first, and ever since the first time he had never refused. As Sesshoumaru took the plate from her she couldn't help but smile at the thought of the first time she had done this. It took Sesshoumaru a moment to realize why the woman had almost begun to laugh. The first time she had done this it had caused her so much trouble with the others with their suspicions, and now it was second nature. When Kagome had returned to the fire, she had found a plate waiting on her in Sango's hands. She took it and gave her a smile as she turned to returned to her place near Sesshoumaru. The children received their plates and sat near the two of them, talking about what had happened that day, which was the nightly topic to them. Once Kagome had finished her plate, she turned to take Sesshoumaru's before returning to the group. Even after such a rough afternoon, everything seemed to be in place.

Once the children had decided to go to bed they had taken out their blanket and laid it out closer then normal. She looked at them suspiciously but all they had done was innocently smile at her before laying down. Kagome watched as the children drifted off to sleep with a smile. She saw the two of them huddle together and realized that it was beginning to get cold, she had known that winter was coming but she had not realized that it would come this soon. She slid off her shoulder harness and removed the cloak from it's hooks before walking over to the children and covering them. Knowing that she too needed to be warmer, she took out her chest and enlarged it. She placed her harness within the chest and took out winter robe that she had worn quite a bit. The black cloth had a silver tint to it that matched her hair. It was intended to be warn open but had plenty of material for Kagome to wrap herself up in. Before returning the chest to it's pouch, Kagome took out her bow. With all of that done, she returned to her position beside Sesshoumaru. The two of them sat looking over the other three people of the group. They were talking among themselves and soon they were walking towards the two of them.

"Sesshoumaru-sama" Sango stated politely and then turned to Kagome. "All of us have been talking about everything that's happened and we all have one thing we would like to ask of you, Kagome."

"Okay, Sango." Kagome stated, curious as to what they were going to ask.

"Kagome-sama, we all believe that it would be a good idea for us to see you in your true form. We must admit, as well, that we are all quite curious to see a tenshi in true form, none of us knew that they still lived." Miroku stated.

Kagome couldn't help but laugh a little, "Which would you like to see?"

"You tell'n us that you have different ones?" Inuyasha chimed in.

"Yes, Inuyasha. One inu and one tenshi."

"Tenshi." Miroku stated immediately.

"Inu!" Inuyasha stated at the same time.

They both looked at Sango, knowing she was the tie breaker. "Both?" She stated with a shrug.

Kagome couldn't help but laugh at them, they reminded her so much of the children. "Inu first. I'm not going to be showing my true size thought, when I leave it I'll go to tenshi."

"Okay." They all stated.

Kagome stood up and began to walk away from the group. She noticed that even Sesshoumaru was watching intently. She focused on the image she had received from Netali when she had first given her all of her memories. Everyone in the group saw black energy surround their friend and soon they saw a large black dog, her fur was short, her tail long, and her ears stood up high. Everyone heard Sesshoumaru let out a growl, only Inuyasha and Kagome understood.

"Show your true size." He had told her.

She'd whined at him, but decided to comply. She turned and walked away from the group some more and allowed her true form to come through. Everyone was shocked to see that she was larger then Sesshoumaru. If they could be measured pound per pound though, Sesshoumaru outweighed her by at least double. Everyone saw her taken over by pure white energy surrounding her and her form shrank to normal. Once the energy had died down they saw her black hair had silver tints within it. She stretched out her wings to show her wing span was at least fourteen feet. She folded the wings in and began to walk nearer. As she approached they saw that her face had black lines above and below her eyes and her birthmark, an upward facing crescent moon with a crook like the one she carried above it, was showing just below her collar bone. Gray energy surrounded her as she turned back into the person they had known for three years now.

"What kind of inu are you?" Inuyasha questioned.

"It's called a jackal, they don't live around here." She stated smiling weakly.

"You have a crescent birthmark just like Sesshoumaru-sama." Sango stated.

"There are four crescent breeds, two tenshi, two youkai. Mine is a crescent and crook. Then there is the Taisho breed, the left crescent. There is a right crescent as well and they are youkai, and last there is the top crescent that has a flail. My uncle is a full moon with a crook and flail. I'm getting into a bunch of old legends that I barely even remember guys, forget it…" Kagome stated.

"Tell us what you remember." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Okay." Kagome stated returning to her sitting place.

The others sat down and waited for her to begin, but Sesshoumaru spoke first. "I do not remember your uncle having a birthmark."

"He hides it, just like I hide mine most of the time. Okay, this is kind of a mix of legends but they all go together so here goes. The clan of power has five breeds within it, there's the four separate crescents, and then one where they are all together. Thousands of years ago all five breeds lived with communication between them. With time the breeds realized that when they would join with another breed that was on one side of the circle or the other from them, which is a youkai-tenshi cross that the mark joined together and made a half moon, so they arranged a few matings among the families and then ended up discovering the full moon blood line. The half moon blood lines are very strong, I mean, think about it a full blooded youkai and a full blooded tenshi. The energies matched perfectly, they weren't half-breed. The full moon blood line…" Kagome was at a loss for words as she shook her head. "words can't describe the power they have. I'm getting away from the legend. Time passed and the youkai-tenshi wars began. The four breeds stopped communicating to each other. The two youkai clans were lost. The two tenshi clans were sent away from home to seek out the other two. That's what brought my family here. We discovered the crescent clan in these lands and my uncle decided that we would stay here so that through us he could keep track of them."

"And now you are the last of your family line." Sesshoumaru stated.

"No, I have a little sister. A lot of people thought she was killed with my parents, but she was sent to my uncle for protection. In any case, even if my family was to be completely killed my uncle could gift the birthmark to a human to bring back the breed. That's one example of how much power he has."

"Wow, I would love to be in the presence of such a creature." Sango stated in awe.

"He looks human, his presence is not one I can describe. I would imagine it is because of the youkai-tenshi mixture." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Hey, when have you ever left these lands?" Inuyasha questioned.

"You could say that it was only a dream." Sesshoumaru responded, looking at Kagome with a smile.

Kagome smiled back at them, unwilling to talk to anyone about what had happened in that dream. "What? You're not making any sense." Inuyasha stated.

"Then perhaps it is not for you to know, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru told him.

The conversation seemed to die at that statement. Kagome wasn't sure if everyone had been taken back by Sesshoumaru's statement or had just been overwhelmed with information. What ever the reason had been Kagome was grateful, she'd used a lot of energy shifting around, and she still wasn't used to doing things like that. She knew that she could use either form if her or the kids were threatened, but doing so with a calm mind was somewhat difficult. She knew she had a lot of meditation time to fulfill soon. Kagome walked over to the children and checked on them one more time. They were both cuddled together, but they did not look near as cold. Kagome smiled down at them and kissed each of them on the cheek. She stood back up and made her way near Sesshoumaru, who had been watching everything that she did. Once she had sat down next to Sesshoumaru, Kagome looked over the rest of the camp. Everyone was already laying down for the night. Kagome watched them and waited until she knew they were all asleep.

"I have more to tell you, I'll see you shortly?" Kagome questioned.

"See you there." Sesshoumaru responded.

Kagome let her mind wander and soon she was asleep. She created the dream world and pulled Sesshoumaru into it, something Netali had done on several occasions. She was sitting near the pond in the south-western estate. Within a minute, Kagome heard Sesshoumaru approaching. He sat down near her with his arms folded. She looked over at him with a smile, she always felt calm here. Sesshoumaru maintained his calm face as he looked at her.

"What's wrong, Sesshoumaru? You're normally less controlled here." Kagome questioned.

"I have never been here with you before." He stated. She gave him a confused look before he continued, "Netali may be inside you and you may have her memories, but you are still Kagome I will not act as though you are her."

Kagome thought about his words. He was content at the fact that she in some manner still lived, but he had seen what it had done to Kagome to be confused with Kikyo. She could respect his attitude about the situation. "I can respect that. I'll do my best put her memories of you aside." She told him.

"Do what is comfortable to you, and I will act accordingly." He replied.

"You know, there really isn't any difference between you when you are here and the older you. When you are awake the weight of your title is on you, but here, formalities and titles have no bearing." Kagome responded.

"Which one of me is it that you see when you look at me?" He questioned.

"I see you, this you, the unrestricted you. The older you doesn't exist any more, time has already changed that person. That you that you saw today is by many standards dead. Even when you are awake I see the unrestricted you, even though I can't act the same towards you." Kagome answered.

"What was it that you could not say while awake?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"Oh yea, the older you told me that two months after I left was when you faced Naraku. I know where he will be, but I'm not sure if he is there now. I want to make sure he's going to be there when we go. That you told me that before you fought him Naraku said something about he hadn't been there long and he was just about to seek us out. It seems to me that we should wait for the two months to pass before we go to face him. He was building up his strength so I know he won't come after us wherever we are for that time. What are your thoughts?" Kagome questioned.

"The time would be best spent for me if I was at the estate. That time would be very useful to straightening out all of the problems that have begun with my absence, but I do not know how the others would feel." Sesshoumaru responded.

"I'm not sure what they would want to do. I know that me and the kids would go with you, at least to the city. I'm going to bring them here so we can decide." Kagome stated.

"Before you bring them, what would you do in the city?" He questioned.

"Is Mushiro's forge still empty?" She questioned.

"It is." He answered.

"I'll find out who owns it now and we could go there. I'm sure my forging skills would be useful to the estate and the city, and it would help me build my strength back up." Kagome answered.

"I own it, and I give it to you." He replied.

"You don't have to give it to me, I have gold in my chest. It is more then I would need to take care of the three of us for half a year." She informed him.

"Then why work at the forge?" He questioned.

"Like I said, to help the estate and to build my strength." She answered. "I want as few people as possible to know who I really am. Me and the children can't just walk into the estate like old times. As an ally I could come into the estate to visit, on occasion, but we couldn't live there. It would cause trouble for you if I just appear like that and you know it."

"I'll concede that point." Sesshoumaru answered.

Within a few minutes, Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha were sitting with the two of them. After explaining what the dream world was, Kagome explained what the two of them had talked about and asked for their decision.

"I ain't goin' there." Inuyasha stated immediately after Kagome mentioned the western estate.

"I would have to agree with Inuyasha, Kagome-sama." Miroku began. "That area is dominantly demon populated and it would not be a good idea for us to be there."

"The three of us could go to my old village, it's in the right direction from here." Sango stated.

"Okay, that will work. In about six weeks we'll come there to get you before we go back out. I'll pull you here before we come there. We only have one other issue, Koga." Kagome stated.

"I will go to the den and inform him of what is going on." Sesshoumaru stated.

"As soon as you get back we'll leave then. How does that sound?" Kagome questioned.

Everyone agreed with her statement, and Kagome decided that it was time to release the dream and get some sleep.


	25. Part 3 Chapter 3

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Chapter 3 - Shared Dreams

When Kagome awoke it was shortly after dawn. She noticed that Sesshoumaru was gone and only she and Inuyasha were awake. During the time before the children woke up, Kagome got all of her things together except what she would need during their trip. Soon everything was finished and Kagome decided to start breakfast. She had no idea when Sesshoumaru had left to go to the den but she wanted everything ready when he returned. By the time breakfast was finished, everyone was awake and becoming alert enough to eat. Except for the children, they woke up alert and ready to go. It wasn't until everyone had finished eating and everything was packed up that Kagome saw Sesshoumaru walking at his slow pace towards the group.

"How did it go?" Kagome questioned.

"He refused to wait, he is taking is group to find them now." Sesshoumaru answered.

"I can only hope that we get to him before they do." Kagome commented, a little worried about them.

"Is everyone ready to leave?" He questioned.

"Yes." She answered.

It had been decided that they would go to Sango's village first since it came before the Western estate. They would have to camp one time before reaching the old village, and one more time before arriving at the western mansion. Kagome placed the children on the dragon, deciding that she should walk. The sword she had forged in the future was tucked into her belt and she carried her bow in her hand. As they began to walk, Kagome considered all of the lessons of meditation and power control that she had been taught in the past.

She decided to practice a lesson that she had received a long time ago. She drew all of her energy into her chest and focused on condensing the energy. She formed the energy into the smallest ball that she could manage and then allowed it to redistribute throughout her body. With every attempt, Kagome pulled more energy into the ball and began to make it smaller. She continued her exercise for half the day, knowing that if she did not stop now she would drain herself and not make it the rest of the trip before falling asleep. Another lesson she had learned came to mind, and she decided that it should be practiced as well. She focused on allowing her energy to be felt and let her appearance change slightly. She knew that if they were going to be staying in a demon populated area she would need to look less human. The silver tinting came into her hair and her fangs and claws extended. Looking different enough, Kagome decided to lock her appearance the way that it was, allowing no more and no less to come out. She did not look like Netali, which was one of the reasons she needed to practice. Instead she simply looked like a tenshi Kagome, and decided that she liked this appearance.

It was two hours before dark when they arrived at the abandoned village. Sesshoumaru sat down at the edge of the buildings and watched over the children as they played. Everyone else helped Sango straighten up a few things in the buildings they would be staying in during their time here. Before the work was finished, Kagome decided to work on getting dinner ready. She knew that by the time the work was done everyone would be ready to eat, and then go to sleep. If Kagome had been a psychic she could not have been more correct. As soon as the children had finished their food they had taken their plates to Sango and had immediately laid out their pallet and gone to sleep. Once the dishes were done everyone else made their way to the hut that they would be sleeping in, except for Kagome. Sesshoumaru refused to stay within the buildings and so she and the children would remain outside with him. Kagome knew Sesshoumaru well enough to know that he did not want to be alone, but he wouldn't ask for them to stay with him either. The high wall around the village made him uncomfortable. He liked to know what was around him at all times and there was no place within the village that he could look over the walls. Before going to sleep, Kagome sat beside the children and altered their appearance as she had done their own. Once it was locked in place, she laid out her blanket and fell asleep quickly.

Sesshoumaru looked towards the sleeping figures not far from his location. Kagome had known that one of the huts were being prepared for them to stay in and yet she had decided to sleep out here. He knew that it was cold to them out here and he did not understand why she had rejected the warmer location. He would have liked to believe that she had simply decided to remain so that he would not be alone, but he could not have guessed her motive. He knew that she understood her behavior, but he also knew that she was adjusting to the new instincts and could very well act on them without conscious thought. She had changed their appearance to look more demon. He knew that she would do so before going into the western lands, but do have done it while still in the company of the humans in the group surprised him. Her actions made him believe that she was leaving the human side of her behind, at least the appearance. She had chosen to follow him instead of remaining here. She had refused to let him give her the old forge that was in the village outside the estate walls. She was lining everything out for after the battle with Naraku, and she was preparing that place to be near him. He knew that she had promised not to take Rin away from him, but in the back of his mind he knew that was not the only reason. He stared at Kagome's sleeping form for some time, the warning he received running through his mind. '_she never knew what you felt…_' His older self had decided to say as much as he could in a very short time. Knowing that his mind was running in circles, Sesshoumaru decided to pause his thoughts for the time being and resume them at another time, and soon he too had fallen asleep.

--

Sesshoumaru drifted into sleep and dreamt of the time he had seen Netali's home land. '_come on, Taisho' _Netali called, grabbing his hand and beginning to run down the hallway. They had just left he company of her uncle and she wished to show him her favorite place in the palace. He had felt like a child running through the palace with her and couldn't help but join her in laughing as they ran down the hallways. The hall ended and they were standing in an open room. There were several stone columns scattered around the room. A set of stairs lead down to a lower area of stone floor only to drop off and be meet by a river. He could see reeds growing at the edge of the cove that was cut into the palace to offer privacy. His attention turned back to Netali, his arm was around her waist, his hand resting just beneath her belly button. He lent into her a little and brushed his lips on her neck, and earned a purr from her. She turned in his grasp and after a smile, they immediately began to kiss deeply.

This had happened several times in the dream world since they had began sharing their sleeping hours together. There was no awkwardness between them any longer, each knew what the other liked and what they wanted. As soon as they had began to kiss, Sesshoumaru gripped her side. He walked her backwards as the kiss continued, and guided her towards a stone bench that was curved upward on one end. With material laid over it and pillows around it he knew that it was designed to be lain on, even without having seen such furniture before. Once they were near the bench, his hand moved towards the clasp on her skirt and it dropped to the floor. He had long ago mastered the mechanics of he clothing. She slid her hand between them as she untied his hakamas in the front. Her hand slid around his hip and soon the hakamas fell to the floor, followed shortly by her shirt. He stepped forward, placing a foot in-between her legs, causing her to step back towards the bench. He lent into her and supported her weight with one arm as he bent backwards to move herself onto the bench. Within a moment he was kneeling over her on the bench, her legs wrapped around his. He brushed her hair away from her face and knelt down to her and their lips and tongues made contact again. He placed an arm in between them to position himself, and gently slid into her. Sesshoumaru fell into dreamless sleep, unaware that someone else had felt the memory of this dream.

--

Kagome woke with a jolt, '_so that's how it feels to be loved by him_.' She thought, realizing that Netali had blocked a lot of that nights dream. She felt hot and cold at the same time, and there was a pain between her legs. She wanted him. She pulled her legs towards her in an attempt to relieve the pain. Kagome knew that it was her that wanted him and not Netali. Netali had separated the dream world so well from the waking world that she had not even surfaced the dreams they'd had together when she had given Kagome her memories. Sesshoumaru slipping into that dream had pulled her. She knew that Sesshoumaru had relived the dream, that's why it had surfaced. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and it took everything she had not to look up.

"Kagome." Sesshoumaru's voice whispered with concern. He didn't know what she'd just seen. He didn't know what was wrong. "Kagome." He stated louder.

Kagome couldn't help it, she looked up at him and when she did she pushed herself forward and captured his lips. The memory was far to fresh in his mind, the lines of dream and reality crossed, and he returned the kiss as though he was still reliving his memories. His hand, which had been on her shoulder moved to the side of her face while the other had slipped beneath her outer robe and gripped her side. The cold throughout Kagome's body died down, but the heat increased immensely. She knew that she needed to remind him of reality, but she was losing the fight in her mind that was deciding weather she should or should not do something to stop this. There was a pause in the kiss, and Kagome took her chance.

"Not here." She whispered, hoping that he would realize this was not the dream world.

She felt his hands let go of her and move away suddenly, reality seemed to be setting in. In a flash he was gone. Kagome knew exactly where he was though, she could smell him. She had turned him on and now she had to deal with the fact that she could still smell him. It hadn't been the dream that had done it, she hadn't smelt it when she woke up. No, Kagome had done it when she had leaned up to him. Now she knew that he had not been lying in the future. He had feelings for her now, they had not developed when he had thought her dead. Only a moment after his retreat, Kagome rolled onto her side and gripped her blanket, pulling it to her face in an attempt to cover his scent.

"So much for keeping us separate." She whispered to herself, reminded of her statement to keep the memories of Netali and her own separated.

Kagome needed to do something to get his scent out of her mind. She struggled to think of something, anything, that would take the scent away. She struggled to sit up and she looked over at the children. She stood up on shaky legs and walked over to them and knelt down. They were sleeping peacefully, unaware of anything that had happened. She lent over them and placed her forehead near them and took a deep breath. After about the third breath, his scent had left her mind. She moved back to her blanket and thankfully she had cleared her mind enough that she fell asleep within a few minutes.

Sesshoumaru had watched her display after he had backed away. Her nose lifted into the air slightly as she began to track him. He had thought that she would follow after him when she picked up his scent, but she hadn't. Instead she had rolled onto her side and covered her face. Her words told him much as she spoke to herself. She had been fighting an internal battle with the memories in her mind, and she was losing though she had not given up the fight yet. She had not learned the lessons that Netali had gone through on keeping dream and reality separated. Sesshoumaru knew how she had been taught, but was unsure weather or not he should try to attempt it since it was treading on dangerous grounds for him as well. He had never been near Netali when she had woken from such a shared dream before and did not know what effects they had on her. One thing he did know was that he always woke up in need of a very cold water source.

Morning began with relative normalness, when Kagome woke the children were still asleep, but she could see lights coming from Sango's hut. After checking on the children, she decided to see what had woken Sango up so early in the morning. As she opened the door, Sango turned around to see who was entering. Kagome found her already starting breakfast.

"You're up early." Kagome stated.

"Yea, we all went to sleep so early, I normally wake up early when we do that. Didn't know what to do that wouldn't disturb everyone so I decided to start breakfast, the smell of food is going to wake everyone up soon." Sango stated.

"Anything I can do?" Kagome questioned.

"You could grab the plates over there." Sango stated, pointing across the room. Once Kagome returned to the fire, plates in hand, Sango decided to speak again. "Are you sure you want to go with Sesshoumaru? You're going to be surrounded by demons even though you'll be in the mansion."

"You say that like you don't think I'm safe with him, Sango." Kagome commented, and Sango replied by giving her a sad look. "He's not going to hurt me, and he's not going to allow anyone to hurt me while I'm there. It will be alright Sango. I'm not staying in the mansion anyway, I'm staying in the city. I'm going to buy an old forge house. I figure I need to do something, have somewhere to go back to once the fight is over. So, I'm going to work on getting it all set up now." Kagome elaborated.

"I had hoped that you would come back with us and live here." Sango stated sadly.

"I promised Sesshoumaru that I wouldn't take Rin away from him. Besides, since I made that promise I started feeling…" Kagome paused for a moment. "Well, like something would be missing if I didn't get to see him very much."

"I can understand that, Kagome-chan. I do hope that you will come to visit us." Sango stated hopefully.

"Of course I will, and if I remember right, the house I'm buying is a little outside town so you guys would be able to come see me too." Kagome stated.

"I'm not entirely sure how that would work, but I can't say yes or no, we'll have to see if it would work out." Sango stated.

"As my allies, you would be welcome there. No one would lift a hand to harm you for what you are. Though if you do come, I would advise you not wear your slayer clothing nor he wear his monk's clothing." Sesshoumaru stated, making his presence known to the two women. "The children are awake." He stated, looking down at Kagome before leaving the hut.

The two women looked at each other once he had left, unsure exactly how much of the conversation he had heard. They couldn't help but laugh at each other. Kagome stood up and looked out the doorway to see the children running around playing. She looked over to see Sesshoumaru sitting where he had been last night, looking as calm as ever. '_If he's not going to say anything, I'm not going to either_.' Kagome decided in her mind as she turned back to Sango who was just finishing up dinner.

Soon everyone was awake and breakfast had come and gone. After a not so long good-bye, Kagome was placing the children upon Ah Uh so that they could leave. As they began to walk away she turned around and lifted up an arm to wave at them. The children joined her as she bid a farewell to the rest of their group.


	26. Part 3 Chapter 4

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Chapter 4 - Planning for things to come

Once they had turned back to the path before them and had left the confines of the wall, Shippo turned to Kagome. "Momma, I don't think they wanted us to leave."

"You're right, they didn't. We're not all going to be staying together forever. We all have some adjusting to do and it might be a little difficult, but everything will be alright." Kagome told him, noticing for the first time that Shippo had silver speckling in his eyes.

"Do you believe they will come to see you once we have returned from the fight?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"I don't really know. She's spent her whole life hating demons. She's conceded that not all demons are evil, but to be in a village full of them…" Kagome stopped, knowing that her meaning had been understood.

"I will hold true to my word. If they come all you need do is tell me. If their presence is not welcome I will have guards near your house to keep peace." Sesshoumaru informed her.

"Thank you. I just hope if they do come there won't be any trouble or else they may not come again." Kagome responded.

"Don't be sad, momma! We're going to be with you!" Rin chimed in.

"How could I be sad? I've got the best two kids in the whole world." Kagome stated, smiling at them both. "We're going to have all kinds of fun together."

Sesshoumaru glanced at her after that statement, not understanding how a grown woman could resemble a child so much. He decided to keep his thoughts to himself for the time being. He would bring it up after they had traveled for a while. Half a day into the trip, Sesshoumaru decided that they had given him enough silence.

"What is it about your time that causes you to be so different then women of your age here?" He questioned, attempting to word his statement so that she would not take offence of it.

"Well, in my time, at 18 I'm still considered a child. If I hadn't come through the well I would just be getting out of high school. Most women in my time don't even start a family until their mid-twenties, or later." Kagome answered.

"You did not complete your education?" He questioned, already knowing how school worked and the importance of graduating.

"No, with me being here I missed so much school that I'm going to have to finish my classes privately. I don't really see that happening though." Kagome answered.

"You do not wish to complete your schooling?" Sesshoumaru questioned further.

"It's not that, it would be useful if I did get my diploma, doing the classes privately costs more then my family is going to be able to afford. The government will pay for schooling as long as you are of age to be in school, but after you reach 18 you have to pay for it yourself." Kagome elaborated.

"Is there no way for you to receive assistance?" He asked.

"While I was in the future, you offered to help me. It's just, I've depended on everyone around me for the past three years. I already owe everyone around me enough. I have the knowledge to do things on my own now, so I plan on using it." Kagome answered.

"You owe me nothing, Kagome. You restored my arm to me, you cannot place a price on that. In that respect alone, it is I that owe you. You should have taken me up on paying for your schooling, and if you return to your time I _will_ remember your need." Sesshoumaru stated, committing his words to his memory.

Kagome laughed slightly at his statement, "I wonder how different you'll be next time I go home."

"I will be the same as you saw me two days ago." Sesshoumaru stated confidently.

"No you won't. The past of that person is already different then it was originally. Think about this… Everything that happens to you is what makes you who you are. Now lets look at the older you, I came back in time and every day I change what he lived through. Would that not make him different?" Kagome stated.

"For not completing your education, you can fabricate some very interesting ideas." Sesshoumaru stated, not knowing what to think about what she just said.

"I didn't fabricate that idea. It's called quantum theory. It was proposed over half a century before I was born. The older you told me that you studied this theory when it was first proposed, and that it explained why I never came back through the well." Kagome elaborated.

"He said that Naraku killed you because we were not at the well to guard you." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Naraku did kill me in front of you. He knew that I could have come through the well unprotected and created an image of me when you guys faced him. You said that you did not know it had been an illusion until after the fight was over, and everyone besides you was dead." Kagome explained.

Sesshoumaru thought about what she had said for a moment before continuing the conversation, "What you are saying is, since that me remembered you supposedly dying in front of us and then realizing that you were alive, you had simply not returned for unknown reasons his behavior was effected. Changing those variables would alter the end result. Meaning I will be different then him once the five hundred years have passed."

"Exactly." Kagome agreed.

"That is why you said that for all proposes that person is dead. You altered me by coming back and so you altered him in the process." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Yes, now you understand quantum theory. All of those offshoots of variables are called 'quantum fluxes', that basically means that other places exist were the variables are different then here. Now, if I do go back through the well, you will know exactly what's going to happen." Kagome stated.

"Other places…" He stated to himself. "He said that his words insured that I would not live through what he had. You returning created a quantum flux, you caused events to be different which is what you said you wished to do. Could you not return now and your goal be complete?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"I want Naraku to die before I attempt to go home. I want to go before the jewel is gone, I may never be able to return again once it has been destroyed. Not only that, but why go back to my time when it would make us miss out on five hundred years to be around you." Kagome stated.

"You would be safer there then you are here." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Life is not peaceful in my time, Sesshoumaru. Hidden wars are being waged between tenshi and humans as well as youkai and humans. No one besides the people involved know anything about it. I'm no safer here then I would be there. Me being here means that you have warning of what is to come. If I go, you would have to struggle through it as you did the first time and hope you found the pieces to the puzzle in time." Kagome explained.

"Do you not believe me capable of putting pieces together?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"It's not that. I swore that I would take the pain of your past away, and even if I do visit my time, I will come back until I have taken all the bad things away." Kagome answered.

"Bad things happen throughout life, Kagome, do not put such a weight upon yourself." Sesshoumaru commented.

"I may not be able to fix the past, but from here until five hundred years from now, I can at least help you through the bad. I'm not going to change my mind, and you can't talk me out of it. This is not negotiable." Kagome stated.

"So, you wish to engage in a battle of wits do you. I will win this, once the hanyo is dead and you return to your time, I will have no regrets and no pains. Therefore, you will have no need to come back to change anything." Sesshoumaru stated, straightening himself even more then he had been.

"I hope you win. It hurts me to see you in pain." Kagome stated.

"You have warned me of many things this day. In doing so, you have already changed the outcome of my entire life. You have pained yourself and your children so that you could assist me in times to come. For this, you and your children will never want for anything." Sesshoumaru stated. When Kagome began to respond, he spoke first. "This is not negotiable."

The remainder of the day passed in silence, Kagome was sure that Sesshoumaru was bouncing the quantum theory around in his head trying to figure it all out. Kagome considered Sesshoumaru's words and tried to decide what his motive had been. He was not as easy to read as he had been in the future. Kagome could only hope that the knowledge he possessed now would help him in the future. Sesshoumaru knew this area well and knew of a spring for them to stop near, and so they made camp not far from it. The children played for a short time while Kagome made dinner for them all. When dinner was finished, Kagome decided to take the kids to the spring, Sesshoumaru insisting on leading them to the spring. Once their bathing was finished, Sesshoumaru took the children back to the camp. Kagome went through her shower bag and took out the soap, shampoo, and conditioner that she wanted and set it to the side. Kagome quickly got into the water, anticipating the warm bath. She relaxed for a minute and then began to get her shampoo. Just as she was about to rinse her hair out, she caught a glimpse of white in the corner of her eye. She looked over to see Sesshoumaru standing near the spring. He had no armor on, and his swords weren't at his sides.

"I do not believe there is any need in misguided modesty at this point." He stated as he began to take his shirt off.

"You left the children alone?!" Kagome yelled as she quickly began to leave the spring.

"Ah Uh is more then capable as a protector." He responded.

"You swear?!" She questioned, the water only half covering her.

"I am fully aware of my own dragon's capabilities, or have you forgotten his actions the day I left you for a short time." He stated, inwardly surprised that she had not noticed the physical display she was putting on.

"Yea, I guess you're right." She responded quietly.

Kagome realized that the top half of her was beginning to get cold and it dawned on her that it was due to the fact that she was out of the water. Her eyes widened a bit and with a gasp she turned around and began making her way back to her supplies. She was relieved that Sesshoumaru had decided to say nothing, but her tension came back when she heard him step into the spring.

"Why is it that you chose to bathe with soap that conflicts with your natural scent?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

Kagome thought for a moment, "Uhmmm, because I don't have a clue what that scent is." She stated meekly trying to get over her embarrassment.

"It is a flower from Netali's homelands, I do not know the name of it. Which ever of those you just used, you should refrain from using again." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Then you pick which one I should use." Kagome stated, reaching into her back and taking out three other shampoo bottles she had brought with her. Kagome turned around to give him the bottles, and did her best to ignore the image that greeted her. She'd seen the older Sesshoumaru shirtless before, everything else was covered so she had nothing to worry about, this was not going to affect her. She caught herself comparing the figure in front of her to the older version she had seen a couple days ago. His chest and arms were more defined now, even though she knew the older was physically stronger. His collar bone had not been completely covered, and his ribs had yet to expand to their full width. "Here." She stated, handing the bottles to him.

Sesshoumaru took the bottles and smelled each of them. Finally, he handed one of them back to her. She looked at the bottle and saw that it was jasmine scented. She quickly rewashed her hair and set the bottle to the side. "Sesshoumaru?" Kagome questioned, keeping her mind on tomorrow instead of the current moment.

"Hn." He responded.

"There's no way for me to hide my bloodline when we go to the city is there? Not if me and the children are going to be around you at all." Kagome questioned.

"No possibilities come to my mind." Sesshoumaru answered. "Why are you attempting to keep from taking back your title?"

"If it was just me, it wouldn't bother me as much, but I don't want to pull the children into the political world. I wanted to try to save them from that life." Kagome answered.

"How do you wish to handle your 'reappearance'?" He questioned.

"Go to the city before us, have a scout herald our coming. It should be as if you know nothing." Kagome answered hesitantly.

"What of when we are due to leave in a few weeks?" He questioned further.

"You are going to fight the creature that killed me, it would only be right if I was at his death." Kagome answered again.

"That hanyo is responsible for the attack on the mansion?" He asked.

"Yes. It was him that was behind the assassination attempts as well, and it was him that had my parents killed. He knew my family was tenshi. I don't know how he knew, but he did." Kagome stated.

"How long will you need to prepare the children?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"If you leave tonight, the children and I will leave here morning after tomorrow." She answered. "We're going to have to keep it as low key as possible or Naraku might come against me again."

"Keep your aura toned down. You should act as if you do not possess all of your memories. If he believes you do not have your complete memory or strength, he likely to wait." Sesshoumaru offered.

"I'll agree with that." Kagome stated.

They both finished their bathes, and Sesshoumaru left the spring first. As he began to leave the area, Kagome looked over at him. Whether or not he wanted to admit it, Kagome knew that he needed her. She had decided to do what ever she could to stay near him, but within the city there were rules that had to be adhered to. No common woman would be allowed to be near one of the lords. There were many things she would have to do in order to prepare entering the city. She would have to call out to her uncle in the dream world so that he could vouch for the validity of her claim if it came down to it. She would need his help in order to teach the children everything they needed to know in order to enter the political realm.

When she had returned from the spring, she found Sesshoumaru armored and armed, waiting for her return. With a formal nod, he called Ah Uh to his side and he turned and began to walk away. She had not wanted their farewell to be so formal, but the fact that he acknowledged at all was less then formal.

"Sesshoumaru." She called out to him.

Sesshoumaru turned towards her and saw the conflict in her eyes, "You need say nothing, Kagome. This Sesshoumaru has not forgotten that you are my friend." He stated, smiling slightly at the last two words.

Kagome smiled at his statement, she had not wanted to erase the friendship the two of them had built over the past month. She nodded her acceptance of his statement, and he took one last glance towards the children who were gazing at him as if they were about to cry before turning and resuming his course. Kagome turned to the children, knowing that they needed to know what was going on. She explained why he had left without them, and explained what was going to happen when they arrived at the city. They were very excited when she told them that they were going to meet her uncle in the dream world. They had not been there yet, and the opportunity to see a far away place thrilled them. They settled in for the night, but not before Kagome placed a barrier around them so that no one could detect their presence.


	27. Part 3 Chapter 5

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Chapter 5 - Arrival at House Taisho

Morning came for them to go to the western mansion. Kagome had spoken with her uncle who had been very glad at having the knowledge of her return. He had assisted her in giving the children all the information they needed so that it seemed as if they had been born to this noble life, and had altered their appearance slightly so that they both looked to be around six years old by human standards, which was closer to seventy in tenshi terms. Her uncle had even caused appropriate clothing to form on them even after the dream had ended. She looked over their clothes, Rin was wearing a long dress similar to the one Kagome was wearing. Shippo on the other hand was wearing a knee length skirt, which was traditional for males with a metal belt that was wider then the one Kagome was wearing. His shoulder harness was quite different then the one she wore. The male version had metal plates that sat on top of the shoulders but extended past their shoulder, where the female version had decorative rods, which started at the shoulder blade and extended past the shoulder. Shippo had his small katana tucked into the belt at his waist while Rin carried a small bow on her shoulder.

Kagome herself had her crooks in the loops of her belt and her katana tucked on one side. As soon as she had pulled out the more formal dress she had recognized it as being the one that she had been wearing in the dream she'd had, which seemed like a lifetime ago. The dress was white, and extended down to the ground. The top of the dress had no sleeves and nothing to cover the shoulders, a band that clasped behind the neck held it up. The band of material that trimmed the top of the dress was gold and there was another piece of material that tied around the belt she wore to give it a more feminine appearance, but still allowed easy access to her crooks and to her katana. She had slid two gold bracelets onto the middle of her biceps that had white material attached to the end of it that gave the illusion of sleeves. Kagome looked over all three of them one last time, before placing the pouch, which contained all of their possessions within the miniaturized chest, up one of the sleeves that had a small hook on it to keep the item from being seen easily.

"Momma, you look nervous." Shippo stated.

"I am a little bit. You remember everything our uncle taught you last night?" Kagome questioned.

"Yes momma." They both answered.

"Remember, we can't call Sesshoumaru by name, we are to refer to him as Taisho-sama." Kagome reminded them.

"Yes momma, we remember." Rin stated.

"Okay. What do you say if someone asks you a question and you don't know how to answer?" She questioned, knowing the circumstance could come up easily.

"I don't have that answer, you'll have to ask my mother." Shippo stated.

"What is your name?" Kagome questioned.

"Hasan Shippo, first born of Hasan Netali, first born of Hasan Luminos, Master of House Hasan." Shippo answered.

"Hasan Rin, second born of Hasan Netali, first born of Hasan Luminos, Master of House Hasan." Rin answered after him.

"You guys did that very well, are you ready to go?" Kagome questioned.

"Yes momma." They both answered.

Kagome stood up and took both of them by the hand. Shippo walked on her right while Rin walked on her left. It had hurt her at first when she began to review the information her uncle had given them the first night. All of the playfulness had been taken out of their eyes, but she had been greatly relieved when she had seen the two of them playing later in the day. She had hoped all of this information would not alter their cheerful personalities and it would seem that they were able to put it away when needed and bring it out when they wanted. Kagome had adjusted to Shippo being quite grown up on occasion, but Rin was normally very cheery and very playful. It had hurt Kagome very much to see the normally exuberant child stern faced. Kagome filled her mind with the questions and answers that she would be asked once they arrived at the mansion. She ran through the scenario a hundred times during the three hour trip.

Finally, Kagome could see the city and estate in the distance. The city had supported a couple hundred houses during the time Netali had last visited here, but had increased to what she would guess was closer to three hundred in the past century. She knew that there was little chance that their arrival would be heralded, so she simply made her way through the main road of town and began the trek to the front gates of the mansion. The children did a very good job of ignoring everyone around them as they walked through the city. Kagome smiled on the inside at how well they were acting, but allowed nothing to show on her face. She could hear people whispering about if it was really her, if it was who the children where, if she were alive where had she been the past century. She built the question list in her mind and knew that she would be asked similar questions once she arrived at the audience hall. It took nearly half an hour to walk through the crowded city, only one barrier stood between her and Sesshoumaru, the main gate to the estate.

"Declare yourself." One of the guards at the gate stated.

"I am Hasan Netali, I have come to seek an audience with Taisho-sama." Kagome stated.

The guard bowed at her introduction and called for the gate to be opened. Kagome could feel that the children were both excited and nervous. They had only heard of such formalities up to this point and knew little of what to expect from here out. When the three of them came to the front doors of the estate, the door was opened for them. Kagome knew that a messenger had been sent in to inform Sesshoumaru as soon as she had spoken so it did not surprise her that she was already expected. They walked through the front room of the large stone mansion and were greeted by a soldier who blocked the entrance to the formal audience hall.

"Your petition has not yet been accepted, I ask that you please wait." The man told her.

She nodded politely at him. She knew this man, he was one of Sesshoumaru's generals a very honorable and loyal inu youkai by the name of Riomaru. Kagome motioned for the children to walk to the side of the room where a sitting room was prepared for guests to wait while their petition was being announced. Time ticked by slowly as they sat in the room waiting to be told they could enter. Kagome wasn't sure how long it had taken, but soon Riomaru entered the room again.

"You have been accepted. Your identity, however, is not recognized, so you must announce yourself." He informed her.

She had known that her identity would be rejected; too many people knew beyond any doubt that she had been killed that day, and it confused them all to hear that she was alive. She nodded at Riomaru understandingly as they all stood up.

"It's alright, General Rio, it is not every day that one returns from the dead." Kagome stated.

He nodded at her knowledge of his name, and escorted them to the doors. As she had expected he also escorted her into the room. She saw Sesshoumaru sitting on the throne of the room and the four nobles surrounded him. One person she did not see was Relina-sama. The three of them stopped and they each bowed, the children bowed to one knee while Kagome offered an incline of her upper body. As they all straightened, Kagome spoke.

"Taisho-sama, I am Hasan Netali, first born of Hasan Luminos, Master of House Hasan. I am aware that my claim stands unrecognized and so I offer you proof to my identity by bearing the marks of wounds I died with." Kagome told him, moving back her cloak to show her shoulders.

"Why do you not announce yourself according to title, Lady of the South-west?" One of the nobles questioned.

"I forfeit my lands to the west in the presence of Taisho-sama before death took me. I have no right to claim that title." Kagome stated.

"How is it that someone who has been dead for a century can have sixty year old children by their own blood?" Another noble questioned.

"I fear you are unaware of the mechanics which brought me back. My spirit took over that of my cousin, and that is why I look different. She bore the children, but when I overtook her they became mine. If you do not believe this, consider the fact that these two children are mine, by scent and presence even though my purity is in tact." She answered.

"Is there not something in your possession that only the true heir of House Hasan can carry?" A voice questioned from her side.

Kagome turned to see Relina-sama approaching the group, "Relina-sama" She stated with a bow and a surprised look. She took out her larger crook and placed it on the top of her hand. "If you do not believe the crook is valid, take it and see if it rejects you."

Relina maintained her controlled face and reached out for the crook, when her hand was under an inch away from the crook it began to crackle with rejection. "My son, only the crook of House Hasan would do such a thing."

"Indeed, I recognize your claim, Hasan Netali." Sesshoumaru stated.

"I thank you, Taisho-sama, though in the custom of my clan I have taken my cousin's name, which is Hasan Kagome, and if it pleases you, I would give way so that my children may announce themselves." Kagome stated.

"So be it." Sesshoumaru answered.

Kagome nodded and stepped back, now positioned behind the children. Shippo took a step forward. "Taisho-sama, I am Hasan Shippo, first born of Hasan Netali, first born of Hasan Luminos, master of House Hasan." He stated and then bowed to one knee and lowered his head.

Sesshoumaru looked up at Kagome unsure what he was supposed to do. She mouthed, 'say something' and he took the hint. "Shippo."

Shippo looked back up at Sesshoumaru and then stood up and stepped back. Rin then approached, "Taisho-sama, I am Hasan Rin, second born of Hasan Netali, first born of Hasan Luminos, master of House Hasan." She stated and bowed to a knee, lowering her head as well.

"Rin." He stated with a nod.

She looked up, and lifted herself from the floor and stepped back to rejoin her mother. Relina-sama decided to break the silence that began, "Seeing as formalities are over, my son. I should like to escort our three guests to a sitting room."

"So be it, I will join you shortly, mother." Sesshoumaru stated in his 'normal' cold tone.

Relina motioned for the three of them to follow her and they began making their way out of the audience hall through a back door. Within a few minutes, the four of them were sitting in a private room on the second floor of the house.

"My dear friend, I'm so pleased… It hurt us so greatly… I'm afraid I'm at a loss for words." Relina stated.

"I am glad to see you as well, Relina." Kagome stated with a smile.

"When my son came home night before last and told me he had news that you were approaching, I didn't know what to think, he really didn't either. That's why he had the nobles in the hall with him. He feared that he would accept an imposter simply because they used your name."

"Mother, that is enough." Sesshoumaru stated as he walked into the room.

"And what would you have us discuss my son?" She questioned.

"First of all, the release of Hasan's lands back into her possession." Sesshoumaru stated as he sat down.

"My uncle bid me refuse them. I'm not capable of that title right now." Kagome stated.

"Why is that?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"Merging is a process that takes some time to complete. I'm not exactly myself right now, truth be known I'll never be exactly as I was. A lot of memories have a tendency of being forgotten when one of my clan comes back. My uncle bid me to request title beneath you instead of retaking the lands." Kagome informed him.

"It will be done. Where do you intend to stay?" He questioned.

"I will need to go to the magistrates office to see what is available, but I did notice that Mushiro's forge is still vacant." Kagome answered.

"I placed a requirement on buying that estate, I will have to give you a letter to take to the magistrate in order for him to accept your purchase." Sesshoumaru commented. "Come to my study and I will write it out for you."

"Thank you Taisho-sama." Kagome stated. Sesshoumaru stood back up and Kagome and the children followed. They all followed him to the study. Once Sesshoumaru was sitting at his desk, Kagome decided to speak again. "What's the cost?"

"One hundred gold." He stated, still writing.

"Wow, that's low for that estate." She stated.

"I can raise it if you'd like." Sesshoumaru responded as he finished the document.

"No, it's alright." Kagome stated with a smile.

"Is there anything I need to be filled in on?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"I meet with my uncle, he's accepted me into the clan. He gave me information about a cousin of mine so that I could speak without hesitation, I only changed her name to mine. Everything I'm saying is true, I'm simply omitting what doesn't need to be said. He also taught the children everything that they know." Kagome informed him.

"They did very well." He stated looking at them for a moment. "I'm sending Riomaru with you until you gain a staff, he is waiting outside the door now. I'm going to be informing my mother of the truth, I know that you would want that. You know the limitations on me, Kagome, I will see you as much as is possible." He finished, standing from the desk and walking around to hand her the letter he had written.

"Any other words of wisdom?" Kagome questioned with a slight smile.

"You do not need words of wisdom from me, you have wisdom of your own." Sesshoumaru answered.

Kagome nodded and took the paper from him, "Thank you, Taisho-sama."

"You are welcome, Hasan." Sesshoumaru stated.

Kagome bowed and then left the room. Just as Sesshoumaru has said, Riomaru was waiting outside the door when the left and he followed them as they walked down the hall to leave the mansion. As they left the estate, Kagome formed a list in her mind of everything that would need to be done and what needed to be done first. She would need staff at the house, a groundskeeper and maid at very least. She did not know what the estate had within the buildings, and that was something all in itself that would need to be taken care of. She knew that she could take her blankets out for them to sleep on for now, but more permanent solutions would have to be found.

The visit to the magistrate was fairly short. Kagome informed him of her wish to buy Mushiro's estate and once she gave him the letter Sesshoumaru had given her, she paid the price and the deed was signed over to her. She questioned how she could gain staff for the estate and he informed her that there was a slave auction once a week, however, the auction had just occurred two days ago. Knowing that she had gotten all the information that the magistrate could give her, she tucked the deed in her belt and made her way across town to go to the estate. Her estate, she liked the sound of that. She had always thought that her first place would be a one bedroom apartment, but instead it was a four building estate. There was the main house, a bathhouse, servant quarter and a storehouse. She could only hope that there was some furniture left in the estate. Kagome had several thousand coins in her chest, but she did not want to have to spend it all on furniture and supplying the house. She knew that she would have to buy materials to stock the forge and more then likely create any molds that she would want to use, and that in itself would cost quite a bit. As they approached the estate, Kagome saw that work needed to be done to repair the outside fence around the estate, this she would do first. There was much work to be done on the grounds due to the lack of maintenance, but all in all the estate was in good condition. With them all finally in the privacy of the estate, Kagome decided to get some information out of Riomaru.

"Are you under any orders that I should be aware of, General?" Kagome questioned.

"Only that I am to report to Taisho-sama once a day, Hasan-sama." He answered.

"Please, General, we're of equal title now, I would ask that you call me by name." She stated.

"If that is the case, Kagome-sama, I must insist you do the same." Riomaru commented.

"Very well then, Riomaru. What time of day are you to report to Taisho-sama?" Kagome questioned.

"You know very well that those that call me by name call me Rio, and I am to report when you begin your evening meal." Rio stated.

"Would it be too much trouble if you told me before you left?" Kagome questioned.

"It is no problem." Rio answered.

"Okay, good. Exactly what have you been ordered to do while you're here?" Kagome questioned.

"I am to insure your safety, and the safety of the children." He answered.

"Okay, so if I want to leave the estate, and I wanted you to stay here with the children, you would be allowed to do that?" Kagome questioned.

"I don't see a problem with that." Rio answered.

Kagome then turned to the children with a smile, "Let's get you guys out of your formal clothes so you can play. I'm not going to make you stay were I can see you as long as the two of you stay together when you're not with me."

"Okay!" Both children exclaimed.

"Do you have any orders for me, Kagome-sama?" Rio questioned.

"Well, why don't you look through the servant house and see what, if any, furnishings are in there." Kagome stated.

Kagome and the children made their way into the house while Rio made his way to the servant quarter, each making a list of things that needed to be done on the way.


	28. Part 3 Chapter 6

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Chapter 6 - Kagome's first house

Once the children had changed into their normal clothes, they ran out of the house into the back of the estate so that they could play. Kagome changed into what had become her normal clothing, her sleeveless haori and hakamas with her belt underneath. Now that she was within the house, she could leave the chest its normal size. She placed it at the side of the room that she had decided would be hers. She made her way around the house, planning the layout as she went. The only furniture in the house was two futons, but since it was only the three of them that would be plenty. She hoped that there was some furniture in the servant house, and decided to make her way over there to check it out. Kagome couldn't help but be excited about the estate. She owned it; it belonged to her and her alone. She and her children now had something to call home, even though it had very little furniture at this moment, and needed some minor work to clean it up. As Kagome left the main house and began walking to the side of the estate to go into the servant quarters, she saw Rio exiting the building. Kagome understood why Sesshoumaru had chosen to send Rio with her. He knew that an unmarked female would have quite a bit of trouble living alone. Rio was only a couple inches shorter then Sesshoumaru, which made Rio around six feet tall. His white hair had a slight blue tint, and a mid blue slash mark was on each cheek, which complimented his dark blue eyes. Kagome could remember that Netali had been told that his breed came from across the sea and lived in the north part of the country. Kagome imagined that this was probably Russia, and he was more then likely some type of malamute breed of inu.

"So, what did you find?" Kagome questioned.

"Very little, one futon and one wardrobe." Rio answered.

"Well, that's one futon less and one wardrobe more then the main house had." Kagome commented.

"Shall I move the wardrobe into the main house?" He questioned.

"Well, the children need something to put their things in. Let's get it moved." Kagome stated.

A few minutes later the wardrobe was within the main house and Kagome began taking everything out of her chest that belonged to the children and placing them within the bottom drawers of the wardrobe. Rio made himself useful by looking around the rest of the property to see what else had been left in the estate. Once Kagome finished arranging the children's clothing she made her way outside to check on them. They were in the garden area of the property chasing each other around. Kagome couldn't help but laugh at them, they had seemed to made themselves at home very quickly. When Rio came back he informed her that there was nothing in the storehouse, and a few tools had been left in the forge.

Kagome decided that since the children were thoroughly occupied, she was going to look at the forge. She noticed that the bathhouse and forge were on the same side of the property, and was glad for that, it would make warming water much easier. As she walked around towards the front of the property, she saw the forge. It was open on two sides, which would allow the heat to escape the rest of the building. On the one side wall there was a table with selves above it, this would be a good place for tools and molds. The sharpening wheel was on the back wall near the table, a few feet away was the forge, the anvil was on the outside edge, and the water troth near it. The coal within the forge would barely be good enough to fire the forge, so she added it to the list of things she needed. Kagome signed heavily thinking about everything that needed to be done.

"Something troubling you?" Rio questioned.

"The longer I walk around, the longer the list gets." Kagome answered.

"What list?" He questioned further.

"The list of things I need to do. The fence needs to be repaired. The grounds need to be cleaned up. The garden needs attention, bad. I need to go to the tailor so that the children have clothes, but first I have to draw out how I want the clothes made. The entire house needs to be cleaned. The house needs furniture. I need to get supplies for the entire house. The forge needs to be cleaned up and stocked so I can fire it. I'm going to have to wait five days in order to go to the slave auction so I can get staff. I don't know where anything is in this city. The really bad part is I've only been here half an hour and I've come up with all that, I know I'm going to find more." Kagome finished with another heavy sigh.

"Well, since the list is at least under construction, choose what is most important." Rio offered.

"Fixing the fence. I'm going to need boards and nails, I already have the tools to do it, I just need a way to get the lumber here." Kagome stated.

"Have the storehouse bring it to you, you will have to go there to get the supplies for the forge anyway. Tell them everything that is on your list at the moment and they will bring it here." Rio commented.

"Problem number two, I don't know where the storehouse is, and I'd rather not drag the children all around town every time I need something, and I have too much to do to go wandering around the city finding everything." Kagome stated.

"Write down your list and I will take it there. I will arrange for you to pay for it when it is delivered." Rio offered.

"You were told to watch after us, if you go for me you'll be leaving us here alone and that will go against your orders. I will not have Taisho upset at either one of us." Kagome stated.

"Go inside and get your sword, and stay in sight of the children until I return. While I am gone, sit down with some paper, if you have some, and draw out the design for the children's clothing." Rio stated.

"Yes, I have paper, it would be a little difficult to write out a list if I didn't." Kagome stated. Turning back to the house to retrieve her notebook and sword.

After retrieving the items, Kagome walked out the back door of the estate and sat down on the steps of the porch that overlooked the garden. The children were still playing, only now Shippo was teaching Rin how to play rock-paper-scissors. She wrote out the supply list as best she could. She knew this was not everything she needed, but it would be a good start. She gave the paper to Rio and he left to retrieve the list. Kagome then began to draw out the children's clothing. She had the idea after seeing the older Sesshoumaru to draw out an a-shirt the best she could with hakamas. For Rin, she drew out a shirt similar to the one she wore, also to be worn with hakamas. With that drawn, she made a note on the paper that she wanted to get a kimono for Rin and a haori for Shippo. A half hour passed and Rio finally made it back. It was now close to midday, and he informed her that the storehouse would deliver the list within the next two hours.

"Unfortunately, Kagome, it is going to spread like wild fire that a blacksmith now lives at this estate. You can expect people looking for work to be done as soon as tomorrow." Rio commented.

"Well, if they do they do, I plan on firing the forge tonight anyway. How much was the iron per bar?" Kagome questioned.

"Ten gold." He answered.

"Okay, I need some prices, what it typically costs to have work done." Kagome stated.

"To have a sword made, between thirty and forty. To have armor made eighty plus, depending on the size of the person." Rio stated.

"How much for someone as big as you? And how much to reforge a blade?" She questioned.

"My size? One twenty, that's chest plate only, arm and leg cuffs are around twenty a piece. Reforge? I would have to guess that it would cost around the same as it is to have one made if not more, to find a smith with that ability is rare." Rio answered.

"So I've been told. It's not that difficult to me." Kagome stated with a shrug.

"When were you wanting to begin working at the forge? I know a lot of people that would want blades reforged." Rio questioned.

"I was wanting to get the property in order before starting any of that, but I guess I could start anytime after today. I'd only take two, and if it were a reforge I'd need them here if there were shards missing out of it. I need a stone chiseling set and some stone. I know I'm going to need a katana mold at very least. I'm going to need melting bowls." Kagome stated, catching herself before she began to ramble too much.

"I know of a quarry about an hour away. Once the supplies get here I could take you there." Rio offered.

"Oh yea, I remember the quarry. I passed near it on my way from the estate." Kagome stated, remembering her many trips back and forth between the west and southwest. "I'll go now, that why I can start now." Kagome stated and then turned her attention to the garden. "Shippo!" She called out.

"Yes momma?" He questioned after he ran up to the porch, Rin close behind.

Kagome reached into her belt and pulled the smaller crook from its loop as well as her coin pouch. "I'm going to leave for a little while. People are going to be bringing supplies from the storehouse, and I'll need you to give them the money for it. General Rio is going to be staying with you. You think you're big enough to handle that, or should I wait until after they get here?" She asked.

"I'm big enough, you don't have to wait!" Shippo exclaimed.

"Are you sure?" Kagome questioned.

"Yes, I'm sure." He answered.

"Okay, if you're sure. Rin, I have a job for you to." Kagome stated.

"What is it momma?" Rin exclaimed.

"You can tell the difference between a flower and a weed can't you?" Kagome questioned.

"Yes, momma, I'm very good at that!" Rin chirped.

"Why don't you and Shippo work on getting all the weeds out of the garden while you wait for the supplies to get here?" Kagome questioned.

"Oh yes, I could do that." Rin stated.

"Well, you know, you're not going to be able to just throw the weeds down on the ground, so what are you going to do about that?" She asked.

"We could put them in a big pile." Shippo stated.

"And I could even get my flower basket to carry them in!" Rin added.

"I think that would work very well." Kagome informed them.

Kagome decided that it would be a good idea to take her chest with her so that she could transport the rocks easier. She kissed each of the children and gave them a hug before leaving, and soon she was on her way to the quarry. She knew that it would take under an hour to get there, especially since the children weren't with her. As soon as she arrived at the quarry, she was meet by the overseer of the workers. She informed him of what she needed and he escorted her into the quarry. She picked out around half a dozen larger stones that she would use for creating sword molds and several smaller stones to craft miscellaneous molds out of. She had a list in her mind of what she needed and spent almost an hour finding the correct sizes for everything. Many of the stones would not fit into her chest, so Kagome arranged for them to be delivered, but they would not arrive at the house until almost nightfall. Enough of the stones had fit that she would have more then enough to do, and much to her surprise, the overseer had allowed her to buy a chiseling set from him.

Almost two hours had passed when she returned to the estate. She found the supplies already delivered and much of it was put away, all except for the lumber, which had been placed in several smaller stacks around the fence. When Kagome questioned who's idea that had been Shippo beamed with pride when he informed her that he had said it. Both of the children demanded on showing her the work they had done one the garden, and to say the least, Kagome was impressed at their work. Shippo and Rin both decided to follow Kagome when she returned to the forge to set up everything. She had them bring the weeds with them and had them throw them into the forge before adding some more coal to the pit. Kagome began the fire with a burst of purification energy that looked like small lightning bolts coming from her fingers. As she got the fire to burn within the entire forge, she used the time to get out the stones she had bought and place them where she wanted them. Once she decided the fire could be left for a short time, she decided to have Rio show her to the tailors so that she could have their clothing measured and began. Kagome had to explain the drawings to the seamstress, but after she had explained it all she had been confident that she could duplicate the drawings. She was then informed that the clothes would be done in two days and they made their way back to the house.

Kagome stole a glance at her pocket watch, which she had covered under her belt and saw that it was almost 4 o'clock. Having a couple more hours left in the day, she decided to sit near the forge and begin working on her molds. In the two hours they had before it was time for dinner, Kagome finished the katana mold, a grinding bowl, two mixing bowls, and a mold to break down the standard block into quarters. Happy with her progress, she called the day done. With Kagome beginning dinner, it was time for Rio to leave. He informed her that he would notify her when he returned. Soon dinner was finished, the dishes had been washed, the children bathed, as had she. She decided to wear a shorter skirt and tank bra and had a sleeveless robe over them, something Netali had typically worn at night. Once the children were in bed, Kagome found herself alone. Kagome was thankful for having traveled so long, she had a lot of minor things that were coming in very handy right now. With tea being the favorite drink of everyone in the group for cold night, she'd had everything she needed to make herself some tea. She decided to go into the sitting room, and for the first time in a long time there was no one with her. Once she had taken the tray into the sitting room, she stared across the room and let her mind wander. She found herself wondering how Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha were doing. She wondered what Sesshoumaru and Relina were doing right now. She even found herself wondering what Sesshoumaru would be like once she went back through the well. He'd had such a calming presence to her, she couldn't help but miss him. Even in this time she realized that with him gone the past few nights she had not slept well.

Kagome quickly set her teacup down when she heard voices outside, she knew that Rio would not be talking to himself. She was immediately puzzled at the sight that greeted her when she slid open the front doors. Rio and a couple soldiers were coming through the gate with a cart.

"Rio, exactly what are you doing?" She questioned as all of them moved to cover the contents of the cart.

"Well, I was hoping to surprise you, but it would seem as if your ears are too keen."

"My children are asleep, exactly how keen do you think my ears would be? That doesn't answer the question however." Kagome stated.

"Well, Kagome-sama, since I will not be in the barracks for a little while I decided to bring a few things here so that life would be a little more comfortable for you." Rio stated as he moved away from the cart to reveal some furniture. Kagome slid her shoes on and walked outside, curious to see what he had brought. There was a couple low tables, a wardrobe, and a stool. Kagome turned to face him when Rio began to speak again. "These belong to you now, I have only one request of you."

"Which is?" Kagome questioned.

Rio reached into the front of the cart and took out a long box. He opened the box to reveal a broken katana. "Consider it a trade, items I do not need for the skill that you have."

"Done. Keep it with you until morning." Kagome told him.

Kagome had them place the stool in the forge, one of the tables went into the sitting room, one in the dining room, and the wardrobe was taken into her room. Even though Rio had considered it a trade, Kagome found that she had the better end of the deal by far and found herself curious about his motive. She knew that the general was ordered to keep her and the children safe. This however was going quite a ways out of the line of duty. Her uncle had warned her that even though people could not feel the exact extent of her aura, anyone that came very close to her would have a scene that she was strong and thus she would attract the attention of stronger males. Weaker ones would not even try to impress her, since they would know she was out of their league. At the age of somewhere around three and a half centuries old, the general was much stronger then most at his age. From what Kagome could tell, his strength was slightly beneath Sesshoumaru's. Kagome dismissed her current thoughts, realizing that she was sizing up Rio. Knowledge from Netali told her that it was normal for an unmated female to do so, but Kagome had no desire to look for a mate. There was only one person that she would not reject if they asked to court her, and that person was **not** Rio.


	29. Part 3 Chapter 7

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Chapter 7 - Relina's question & Sesshoumaru's contract

When Kagome woke in the morning, she was thankful that her sleep had been blank. She did not look forward to having another dream like the other night, especially with Sesshoumaru not being here. Getting dressed, she tried to figure out where that thought had come from, but images of the dream they had shared came back to her mind. She got rid of the images as quickly as she could, she did not want the side effects of that dream to surface. She went out to the forge to check on it and found it still decently warm. She added some coal to it and after stirring it up, she made her way inside to begin breakfast. When breakfast was over, the children asked if they could keep working on the garden. Kagome told them that they could keep working on it until it was finished. They were very excited to have been given a job by her, and she shook her head with a smile at their willingness to impress her. Kagome decided to go back out to the forge and saw that Rio was sitting on the porch of the servant's quarters when she exited the building. Knowing now that he had been awake during breakfast, Kagome wondered why he had not come into the main house. Unsure what his motive last night had been, Kagome decided not to bring it up. She needed to get into her memories to search out typical demon behavior when they were attempting to impress someone.

He stood when she left the porch, and with the sword box in hand he made his way to her. Kagome took the box and began to make her way to the forge. She checked the temperature one more time before taking the box to her table and laid it out. There were no shards missing, and thankfully they were all large pieces. As she ran through the process in her mind, she realized there was one thing they had not done yesterday. She turned and began to make her way to the well, she had not filled up the water troth. Once she stood in front of the well, she let out a short high-pitched bark that called the children to her. There were three buckets at the well now, and Kagome began filling them while the children began running up to her. She instructed them to take the buckets to the troth and dump them. Ecstatic that she had asked them to do something else, they began carrying the buckets back and forth. After they had taken several, Kagome picked up two and decided to see how full the troth was. She had guessed correctly as she poured the last two buckets into the troth and gave them back to the children to take to the well before going back to the garden. Kagome went back to the table and began to study the blade again. There was something off about the sword, she placed her hand near the largest piece and began to read the aura of its energy.

"You're blade was cursed, Rio. That's why it broke." Kagome informed him.

"Can the curse be removed?" He questioned.

"Yes, I can remove it, but in doing so it might decrease it's strength. I'll know if it did once it's back in one piece." Kagome answered.

Kagome removed the curse with a small incantation that she was able to say silently and then began the process of removing the hilt. Once done, she began heating the pieces and tapping them back in place and then cooling the new piece. She repeated the process for over half an hour until finally the blade was in one piece. Within another half hour the blade was smooth and sharp, and Kagome turned to give the blade to Rio.

"Fortunately, it didn't lose any strength." Kagome informed him.

Rio took the blade from her and looked over it. He pushed his aura into sword and looked over the blade again. "It would seem as if it grew stronger." He stated as he looked over the blade.

"Only because it was your claws that were put into it. You were quite a bit younger when it was made and since it was reforged your aura just reactivated it with the strength you have now." Kagome explained.

"Is that why they say it is better to reforge a blade then to make a new one?" Rio questioned.

"Yes." Kagome answered.

While the two of them had been talking, a messenger from the mansion entered the gate and made their way towards the two of them. When Rio saw them enter the estate, he turned and waited for them to speak. Instead, he walked up to Kagome before talking.

"Taisho-sama has called for your presence within the mansion, Hasan-sama. You are to go to his study as soon as possible." He told her before bowing and leaving the grounds.

"You will remain with the children?" Kagome questioned, already standing.

"Yes." Rio answered.

Kagome thanked him in a nod and began to run to the bathhouse. She quickly washed up and made her way into the house. She wasn't sure what the reason behind the summons was, but she knew there was a reason for it. Politics demanded that she was only allowed in his presence if he had a reason for it, since he had not requested courting rights. Netali had been forced to obey the same rules during her life, only coming to the western mansion when invited by Relina, who could send a personal request, or if she had official business with House Taisho. Relina on many occasions had invited Netali to visit her in the west only to disappear most of the time of her visit, allowing her and Taisho to be around each other. Kagome could only hope that Relina would do the same now. With her clothes changed, Kagome made her way out the back door and yipped for the children. Once present, she informed them that she was leaving for a short time. Both of them begged her to let them go with her, but she had to remind them that the summons had been for her alone. With the children semi-satisfied, Kagome left to go to the mansion.

The guard standing outside the study informed Kagome that she was already expected. Kagome walked into the study to find Sesshoumaru and Relina the only two present. She walked halfway through the room and kneeled, which was common in Netali's homeland. Sesshoumaru nodded and pointed to a chair near Relina. Once she was sitting, Relina was the first to speak.

"Kagome, my son has explained a few things to me, and I wish to ask you a question." Relina stated.

"I can only hope that I have an answer." Kagome responded.

"Why is it that you so strongly insist on changing the future of my son?" She questioned.

"That answer isn't easy to put into words, but I will try my best. Sesshoumaru was the first person to ever do anything nice for me." Kagome began.

"What are you referring to?" Relina questioned.

"These clothes for one." Kagome answered

"He gave you those after you restored his arm and after you became pack." Relina stated.

"As far as I'm concerned, I had a part in him losing his arm to begin with. With us becoming allies, it was only right that I do what I could to give it back to him. As far as pack goes, he did that before I knew Netali, I had little sense of what pack meant. I don't understand youkai ways, with Netali's knowledge I'm just beginning to. What he's done has meant a lot to me, if you knew Inuyasha you would understand better. For three years I've listened to him gripe because I wanted to stop for the night, because I was just a weak copy of Kikyo, because I wanted to go home to see my family, because I wanted to try to finish going to school, because I wanted Shippo to stay with us, because I helped Sesshoumaru when Rin was captured by Naraku." Kagome caught herself getting emotional and held her hand up while she took a deep breath and collected herself. "Your son, shortly after merging with us, would talk to me, even though I'm sure he doesn't remember half of what I said he acted like he was listening and let me ramble about anything I wanted to. He defended me against someone I've had trouble with for three years. Because of him, Inuyasha doesn't throw his fits toward me anymore. He told me what I needed to know so that I could adopt Shippo and make him really mine, and even let me adopt Rin, who means a lot to him, even though he won't say it." Kagome stated, directing it at him. "Taking all of that into consideration, when I went home and saw him five hundred years older then he is now, and saw the pain the past five hundred years caused him, I felt like I should do something to change it. I knew I had the ability to take it away, and I chose to act on it."

"Looking at it from your point of view, I guess it would make more sense why you feel it so necessary to help him. For what it is worth, thank you. As a mother, you would understand what it means when someone steps in to protect your child." Relina stated.

"When I went home last week, the Sesshoumaru I saw there nearly died to protect my children. I know that has nothing to do with this Sesshoumaru, but if the circumstance were to come up now, I know he'd do the same. So, yes, I do understand what you mean." Kagome stated.

"Would you have me stay or go, my son? I know you wished to speak with her while she was here." Relina stated, turning to Sesshoumaru.

"I would prefer to speak alone." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Very well, I will buy you what time I can." Relina stated as she stood up.

Once the door had closed, Sesshoumaru spoke, "You are correct on one idea, and wrong on another."

"Okay?" Kagome questioned, waiting for an elaboration.

"You are correct in the fact that I would risk myself to protect you and your children; however, you are wrong in the fact that you thought I wasn't listening to you when you rambled. My mother's question was only part of why I called you here. Rio informed me that you are willing to work at the forge half the day, I wish to contract this time. Also, I will be meeting with the advisors later today and I wished to know if you would accept a place among them?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"I would accept it, though I would only be able to handle one of the other right now." Kagome answered.

"I will inform you of the position I find, and you will tell me when you are capable of accepting it. While you are here at the forge, you have leave to bring the children with you. During this time, Rio will not be with you, I will be using this time for him to continue his tasks here." Sesshoumaru informed her.

"They will stay near me, I will make sure of it." Kagome told him.

"How are they adjusting?" He questioned.

"They begged to come here with me. Other then that, they're doing great. They've been staying busy working in the garden when I'm not with them. They don't really like Rio all that much." Kagome answered.

"If he acts out of line in any way you are to come here immediately." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Is there something I should know or expect?" Kagome questioned.

"Only the obvious, you are of the same title, you are strong and unmated, and he is male." Sesshoumaru commented.

"Yes, my uncle warned me of all that already." Kagome stated.

"With Netali's knowledge, you should have already known that." He responded.

"I have to stop and think about what I want to know. All of her knowledge isn't second nature to me, not yet anyway. That's why merging takes time to complete. I have to consciously want the information or to be reminded of it before I remember anything." She informed him.

Sesshoumaru nodded, allowing the information to sink in, "I will keep this in mind. What part of the day would you prefer to be here?"

"In the morning would be easiest." She answered.

"I will see the three of you in the morning then." He responded with a slight smile.

"You still practice in the morning then?" Kagome questioned.

"Have I ever broken my schedule while I'm home?" He questioned back.

"What ever happened to answering a question with a question is not an answer?" Kagome stated with a smile, reminding him of his own words.

"You are treading on dangerous ground, Kagome." Sesshoumaru responded with a lifted brow and a smirk.

"I'll see you in the morning then." Kagome stated as she stood up.

"Perhaps I will see you later today." Sesshoumaru commented.

"Perhaps." Kagome responded.

Kagome left the study and resumed her stern face. She was dancing on the inside. Sesshoumaru's final statement had been an invitation to call him into the dream world. Kagome had more then half the day to wait, but she was already anticipating the chance to see him with no formality attached. When she arrived at the estate, Kagome was surprised to see the seamstress waiting just within the gate for her.

"The patterns you gave me were more simple then I thought they would be, since I finished early I wished to bring the clothing to you." The seamstress stated with a bow, holding out the clothes.

"Let me see the shirts that I drew out for you." Kagome stated. The woman took one of each and handed them to Kagome for her inspection. Kagome was impressed, the seamstress had done a very good job. Kagome had the woman follow her into the house and gave her the same amount the woman had requested the day before.

"Hasan-sama, you have already given me the money for the work." The woman stated.

"Consider it a thanks for completing the task so quickly, and for delivering it to me." Kagome told her.

The woman reluctantly took the extra money and thanked her several times before leaving the house. That would spread like wild fire and Kagome knew it. It may have cost her a few coins, but Kagome considered it worth it since the clothes were delivered to her. She also knew that anything else she had done by her or any other shop would be done quickly and more then likely delivered to her in hopes of receiving a tip again. After putting the clothes away, Kagome made her way to the back of the house. As expected she found Rio sitting off to the side watching the children as they worked in the garden.

"Momma!" They both shrieked as they ran towards her.

Kagome knelt and braced for impact, but found herself flat on her back anyway. She immediately began to laugh and looked over the children to make sure the fall had not hurt either one of them. Once she was sure they were unharmed, she began to tickle their sides. They fought off the assault as best they could, but ended up falling over laughing instead of putting up much of a defense. As soon as Kagome had stopped tickling them, they each stood up and looked at her playfully.

Kagome looked at them with a lifted eyebrow and a smirk, "Come on." She challenged them.

They looked at each other with a smile and both pounced at her. She pushed them both away and the game was on. They were both trying to tackle her and she continued to deflect them. It was the same game she had seen the older Sesshoumaru playing with them. After a short time, the three of them made their way inside the house. Kagome had cleaning she wanted done within the house. The three of them started with the children's room. Next they went to the sitting room. Shortly after the room was complete, it was time to make dinner. Kagome went outside to inform Rio that it was dinner time. She walked around the side of the house, between the servant quarters and the storehouse and found Rio practicing with his newly repaired katana.

"Rio," She called to gain his attention. "we're starting dinner a little early. You can report to Taisho-sama when you are ready."

"I will be leaving now then." He stated with a bow as he put his katana back in place.

Kagome returned to the kitchen and had Rin stay close to her to watch her as she cooked. With dinner finished, she took the children to get their bath. She decided to start the fire beneath the stones herself this time. Tonight she bathed with them, and they stayed in the bath for nearly an hour, splashing each other once they had finished washing. When they left the bathhouse, Kagome was surprised to see Rio standing against the post of the house.

"I wished to inform you that I returned, Kagome-sama." He stated with a bow.

"Thank you, Rio, good night." She replied with a nod.

"A good night to you as well." He returned with a slight bow and then walked towards the front of the house.

Kagome noticed immediately that the children were glaring at him as he walked away. She decided to say nothing to them at the moment, and guided them towards the back of the house. Once she had them in their room she decided to tell them about tomorrow. Both of them were excited to be going to the mansion tomorrow, and they both started talking about seeing Sesshoumaru. She let them continue talking while she laid out their clothes for tomorrow. Once she got them to lie quietly, she left their room to go to her own. She too was excited to be going tomorrow, but she did everything she could to hold her composure while she was with the children. She removed her robe and set it to the side of the futon, deciding that she too was ready to go to sleep. While she drifted to sleep, she focused on the dream world, and on Sesshoumaru being there.

When she opened her eyes, Kagome found herself in the pavilion of the southwest estate. She scanned the area and found that Sesshoumaru was not far away. Soon he was walking up to the pavilion, shirtless as usual, but this was the first time Kagome had called him into the dream world without having a reason besides the fact that she wished to see him. She smiled up at him as he entered the pavilion and sat down next to her. Calm came over her, something she had only found while in his presence. She looked out over the garden, and with a contented smile she leaned her shoulder against him. As Sesshoumaru looked out over the garden with her, he wrapped an arm around her. The two of them sat there as they were and enjoyed the peace of the garden and the calm of each others presence. As Kagome drifted into dreamless sleep, she felt Sesshoumaru turn and kiss her temple.


	30. Part 3 Chapter 8

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Chapter 8 - First day at the mansion

When Kagome woke she had a smile on her face, she almost didn't remember what Sesshoumaru had done as she faded into sleep. '_only a dream_.' She said in her mind, knowing she needed to build the line between dream and reality. She stretched for a moment and then moved to her wardrobe to get dressed. As soon as she left her room to go to the dinning room, the door to the children's room slid open and both of them came into the hall. Kagome looked over them and saw that their clothes looked very good on them.

"I look like Sesshoumaru!" Shippo exclaimed.

"and I look like momma!" Rin added.

"So, you like your new clothes do you?" Kagome questioned.

"Yes, momma, very much!" They both said at the same time.

"Good, let's go get breakfast, Shippo, why don't you take your sword with you?" Kagome questioned.

"Okay momma!" Shippo stated as he ran back into his room to retrieve the item.

When Shippo came back into the hall, his sword was tucked in his belt on one side and Kagome handed him the smaller crook, which was tucked on the other side of his belt. They made their way into the kitchen and Kagome began to make a quick breakfast. She knew that the children were excited about going to the mansion, and to be honest, Kagome was excited to be going there as well. Both children ate their breakfast quickly, and Kagome took her time cleaning up the kitchen before the made their way outside. Before they left the estate, Kagome went to the forge to check the coals and decided to add a few before they left. It was easier to keep the forge at a low temperature then it was to start it back if it were to die out. As the three of them turned to leave the estate, Rio walked up to them in order to follow.

The front gates of the mansion were opened automatically due to Rio's presence, and the four of them made their way to the side of the mansion where the barracks, forge, and practice area was located. As the three of them passed the barracks, Rio left them to begin his work for the time he was here. The children were staring at the training area, in awe of the soldiers that were already beginning their training. Kagome moved so that they were between the practice area and forge, once there she waited for Sesshoumaru to see them. After a few minutes, he noticed them standing to the side and nodded his head slightly. Kagome bowed in return and then knelt down to the children.

"I want both of you to stay where you can see me. I don't care who says what, don't go where you can't see me, okay?" Kagome questioned.

"Yes, momma." They both answered.

Kagome nodded her approval and stood up to turn to the forge. She took a few minutes to glance over everything to refresh her memory so that she knew the location of everything and then turned to the work table. She saw several swords that were broken lain out on the table. Kagome realized that none of the blades were missing shards so she knew that this would be relatively easy work. She moved a sword over to a table closer to the forge and began her work. While she waited for the blade to heat or cool she would turn to check on the children. Both of them were watching the group intently, or rather, they were watching Sesshoumaru intently. Shippo sat with one knee on the ground while Rin sat with both knees on the ground. Kagome laughed on the inside as she saw the children move slightly as they watched his movements. Almost two hours passed when Kagome noticed that Sesshoumaru was walking up to the children. Both children stood as he approached, and Kagome attempted to hear everything that was being said.

"Do you know how to use that sword, young Hasan?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"I've only just started my training, Taisho-sama, I don't know very much." Shippo answered.

"If that is the case, do you not believe it would be wise if you were training out there as well?" Sesshoumaru questioned him again.

"You mean I can train with you?" Shippo questioned.

"Shippo!" Kagome called. "Do not answer a question with a question." She informed him.

Shippo had to search for something to say quickly, "I… I would like very much to train with you."

"Then get out there." Sesshoumaru stated, pointing to the mat.

Kagome approached the two of them for a moment, "Your sword, Shippo." She stated with her hand out. She locked all the abilities of the sword within it so that he did not accidentally unleash one of it's powers. She knew if he were placed in danger, instinct would make him reach for the smaller crook. She handed the sword back to him, and Shippo beamed up at her, excited that he had the chance to learn from Sesshoumaru. Kagome nodded at Sesshoumaru before the two of them turned and they returned to the practice area. The next hour passed by quickly as Kagome finished another sword. She kept Rin busy by having her grab items for her, teaching her the tools of the forge as she worked. Occasionally, she would glance back towards Shippo, and saw that he was trying his hardest to do everything exactly as Sesshoumaru was. Kagome was working on sharpening the last blade when a chill went up her neck. Instinct told her what was wrong, Shippo was in danger. Without thinking about what she was doing, Kagome moved to him as quick as she could. Her form shifted to that of her energy shape. While Sesshoumaru's form was a ball of light, hers was a streak of lightning. She materialized next to Shippo just in time to deflect a sword that would have hit him. The sword was deflected by her own katana, and once he was pushed back, Kagome stood with her arm extended pointing her blade directly at him.

"A soldier of any amount of training should know when to halt a blade." She stated. Her normally speckled eyes were now speckled with red.

"The child must learn somehow Hasan-sama, it is necessary to train with sharpened blades." The man passed off.

"Don't try to give me that, you were trying to harm him and you would have if I had not intervened." Kagome told him, her hand beginning to shake with desire to kill him.

"Remove yourself from this area or she will kill you." Sesshoumaru stated.

Kagome allowed herself to take in her surroundings and saw that Sesshoumaru and Rio were standing on both sides of her. Shippo was standing again, his sword still held in position to fight. The soldier had no choice, he bowed to Sesshoumaru and returned his blade to its sheath before walking away. The man gone, Kagome returned her sword to its sheath as well and turned to face Shippo.

"Shippo, you have a choice to make. Will you continue your training, or will you stop?" Kagome questioned, her eyes returning to normal when she saw him unharmed.

"I'll keep training, momma. I have to know more if I'm going to defend myself." Shippo answered, looking up at her.

"I good choice, Shippo. Tell me, what did you do wrong?" Kagome questioned.

"I didn't reach for the crook." Shippo answered. Kagome nodded as a response.

"You should have killed him." Rio stated, looking at Kagome.

"Next time I will. I now consider everyone warned." Kagome answered, looking directly at Rio.

"Shippo, you will train with me for the remainder of the day." Sesshoumaru stated, looking down at him.

Shippo looked up at Sesshoumaru, "Thank you, Taisho-sama." He stated, and then lowered his head.

Kagome looked over at Sesshoumaru, relieved that he would be teaching Shippo. When he looked over at her, she nodded at him and then turned to leave the mat. Everyone that stood in her way moved as Kagome made her way back to the forge. Her uncle had been correct, he knew that even without the aura of a male within the children they would still be in danger of such attacks. The lacking in their aura would only decrease how often it would happen, and it would typically be males of lesser strength then her that would attempt it. She had been sure to look directly at Rio when she had made her threat, she could only hope the man had enough wisdom to take it to heart. Kagome did not want to have to kill one of Sesshoumaru's generals, but if he stepped out of line in such a way, she would. When Kagome returned to the forge, she completed one more blade before turning to check on Sesshoumaru and Shippo. She found the two of them sitting on the mat, Rio sitting a short ways away. Kagome knew that it was past midday and decided to go to the mat herself, and when she began to walk that way, Rin followed after her. When they had made their way to them, Kagome sat down in-between Shippo and Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru looked over at Kagome and decided to speak.

"Kagome, why do you have the sword locked?" He questioned.

"Shippo lacks the aura control to wield the blade with it's full strength." She answered.

"In order for him to learn, you will have to unlock his aura." He stated.

"I will not do so in front of others, for reasons you already know." Kagome stated.

Sesshoumaru thought for a moment and then looked over at Rio and then looking back at Kagome, "Unlock him, I'll take responsibility for anything that happens because of it."

Kagome looked at him for a moment before turning to Shippo, "Shippo, release the locks."

As Kagome had taught him, Shippo closed his eyes and made the image of a lock being released in him, his aura thrummed as it came to its full strength. "It's done, momma." He stated.

"Shippo, I wish for you to follow my instructions as I tell them to you." Sesshoumaru began.

"Wait." Kagome stated. She took out her crook and stood it on end. When she smacked it against the ground it crackled with power. "Protect." She ordered the crook.

"He will not be harmed, Kagome." Sesshoumaru stated.

"I'm not worried about him, I'm worried about the two of you." This comment from Kagome earned her a look from both males. "What's more dangerous, a baby snake or an adult? The crook will absorb any uncontrolled energy." She informed them.

Kagome moved back a couple feet and listened to Sesshoumaru instruct Shippo. He was teaching him how to pull his aura into himself and how to release it. She was sure that she had a smile on her face as she watched Shippo mimic every move he made, right down to the way he was sitting. It seemed funny, a little over a week ago Shippo had been reluctant to accept any kind of help from him. '_What had changed his mind so quickly?_' She wondered. Was it because of the older Sesshoumaru? Had that been what had changed him so drastically? No. They were pack. A female that has children and no mate falls under the protection of the alpha male. Kagome still didn't understand. If they were pack, it would be as if they were part of the family. They would be welcome to come and go in the mansion as they wished and Sesshoumaru would not have to find an excuse just to be around them. Sesshoumaru acted like they were pack. The children acted like they were pack. Even Kagome's restlessness with Sesshoumaru gone showed that she too acted like they were pack. However, there was a missing piece, they acted like pack, but it was not official. What was left to be done so that it was official? She remembered Inuyasha saying that he had accepted responsibility for protecting her, but Kagome had not placed them beneath his rule. He had done what was necessary for her to accept him, but she had never requested his guidance over her family. Kagome felt very dumb when she was struck with this information. Some things seemed to come so easily, while at other times she was forced to bang her head against a wall in order to find answers. Soon after Kagome had pieced the puzzle together, Sesshoumaru's instructions to Shippo were done for the day. She and Rin stood as Sesshoumaru and Shippo did the same.

"Hasan, my mother wished to see you before you left today." He stated, looking over at her. "Rio, escort Hasan and her children to my mothers sitting room."

Kagome and the children bowed to Sesshoumaru as he turned and began to walk away, Rio lifted an arm and as they began to walk, he began to show them the way. Within a few minutes, Kagome was waiting to be accepted onto the third floor of the mansion. Soon Rio came back and told them that she was waiting on them. When they entered the room Kagome had come to know well, they found Relina sitting in the room with a cup of tea in front of her.

"I'm glad you were able to come, Kagome." She greeted her with a smile.

"I'm glad that we were invited, Relina-sama." Kagome responded.

"You once called me by name, I see no difference between then and now." Relina commented as they moved to sit down.

"Relina, I need your help with culture difference yet again." Kagome stated.

"Tell me your trouble and I will tell you how to fix it." Relina stated, waiting for Kagome to finish.

"I just got the information out of my memory that explains why we aren't officially considered pack. After accepting Sesshoumaru as alpha, I never placed us beneath him and I am unsure how to do so." Kagome explained.

"You never gave him pack authority, so that's why you do not have the pack's mark. You do know that this would give him close to the authority that your uncle has over you?" Relina questioned.

"Yes, but it would give me and the children the ability to come and go in the mansion without political need." Kagome stated.

"You would have to remove all weapons, except your sword, from yourself and the children. Hand the sword to him and then the three of you would turn your back on him and kneel with the back of your neck uncovered. You should not do this with anyone around you, not even me." Relina explained.

"Thank you, Relina. I'll do this as soon as we have a chance." Kagome told her with a smile.

"If you need help creating the opportunity, let me know and I will help." Relina told her. "The reason I asked you here was so that I could tell you that the guards are going to be notified that the three of you have permission to request my presence at any time."

"Thank you, I'm sure we'll be using this." Kagome responded with a smile.

"I won't keep you any longer, I know you have much to do within the estate. I hope to see you soon." Relina told her as she began to stand.

"We will see each other again soon, Relina." Kagome responded as she and the children stood.

Relina escorted them to the main doors, Kagome was sure that she was going to notify the guards of her orders right now. Kagome and the children made their way back to the estate. She had decided that she would use the remainder of the day to begin teaching the children how to read. Education was not what it was in her time as it was here, but she had the ability to educate her children herself and she intended on doing so. As soon as they slid the front doors open, Kagome stopped in her tracks. The entry hall was different, there was a woven rug centered in the walkway. She stepped in the house and saw there was now sitting pillows around her table. Making her way further down the entryway she saw that there was an armor horse and a sword rack on the wall of the armor room. The study now had a low writing table and a bookshelf within it. As Kagome moved to the three bedrooms across the house she noticed that new and thicker futons had been placed in the rooms. The entire house was furnished.

As Kagome looked over her room, which now had a writing table in it as well, she noticed a piece of paper laying on it. She picked up the paper and read it in her mind, '_What you need in exchange for your skill, I consider it a trade. S_.' Sesshoumaru, she knew that is what the S had stood for. He'd had all of this brought here in payment of her working at the mansion. Yet again, she was getting the better end of the deal, but she was not about to complain. Sesshoumaru had told her that he would give her what help he could. Kagome walked back through the house, staring at everything in wonder. Her house actually looked like a home now, instead of a bare hull of a building. Despite her shock, she called the children into the study and began teaching them how to read. About an hour after into their lesson, Kagome was able to leave them alone for a while. It seemed as if her uncle had already begun their education when he had given them all the information he had during the two nights before they came to town. Since she knew they would be occupied in writing for a while, Kagome decided to go outside and check on her own forge.

As she slid open the front door she was greeted by an unexpected site. There were many people outside the front gate. It would seem as if they had been waiting for her to come outside since no one was on the property to greet them at the gate. As soon as they had seen her they began questioning weather or not she was accepting work at the time, if she truly could reforge blades, and a dozen other questions that Kagome had trouble making out since so many people were talking at the same time.

"Excuse me!" She shouted, in order to get everyone quiet. "I am currently contracted to the mansion, I'm not accepting any work at this time. You'll have to come back in a few weeks." Since she had given her answer, the crowd slowly began to leave. Soon Kagome saw only one person standing away from the front gate. "Can I help you?" She questioned, wondering why the man was still present.

"I was wondering if my son and I could speak with you, Hasan-sama." He questioned.

"I'll hear what you have to say." Kagome stated as she opened the gate.

The three of them walked back into the house and Kagome motioned for them to enter the sitting room. The man and his son looked around the house in awe, they obviously had not seen the inside of such a nice house. Kagome had a good idea that the man was going to ask if she would take his son as an apprentice. The boy had green eyes and his dark hair was streaked with green as well. The boy looked around twelve in human years, so Kagome guessed that he was around one hundred and fifty. She knew by aura that the two males were of a dragon breed. Once the three of them were sitting down, the man turned to Kagome to speak.

"Hasan-sama, I would like to ask you if you would be willing to take my son as an apprentice." The man stated.

"And what is it that you do?" Kagome questioned.

"I work in the storehouse, General Riomaru came there two days ago and ordered supplies for your estate. That is how I knew your profession." The man answered.

"What is your name, boy?" Kagome questioned, turning to the boy.

"Torin, Hasan-sama." He answered.

"Torin, is this what you want to do, become a blacksmith?" Kagome questioned.

"Yes, Hasan-sama." Torin answered.

Kagome looked at him for a moment, she could tell by his eyes that he truly wanted to do this, "You know, it could take you decades to learn enough for me to release you. During that time, you're not going to get to see your family very much."

"I'll do what ever it takes for me to learn, Hasan-sama." Torin responded.

"You're going to have a lot to learn before I even begin to teach you how to work in a forge. You'll have to get a lot stronger before you start any of that." Kagome informed him.

"Does that mean you'll accept me?" He questioned.

"Yes, I'll accept you, but only if you will obey me." She stated.

"I'll do what ever you say, Hasan no Danna." He replied with a bow.

"First, go to the tailor's shop, ask for Mesuko. Tell her I want to see her when she has time. Then go home and say good-bye to your family before coming back." Kagome told him.

"Thank you, Hasan-sama." Torin's father stated as he bowed to the floor.

They both stood up and exited the house. Kagome could hear Torin talking to his father as he left. He was very excited about learning. As Kagome thought about the boy, she couldn't help but wonder if Torin was Reva's father. She could see a lot of similarities between the two of them, but would know more once the boy was cleaned up and was no longer half starved.


	31. Part 3 Chapter 9

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Chapter 9 - Faces from the past

Kagome walked out of the house as Torin and his father left the estate and saw Rio sitting near the servant quarters. Rio was watching the boy walk away with his father, a smile on his face. Rio turned to face her as soon as he saw that she was walking that way.

"You really made that boy's day." Rio commented.

"That might change come morning." Kagome stated with a slight laugh. "I need your help with something." Kagome added.

"Name it." Rio stated.

"After we return from the mansion in the afternoons, you think you could work with him and build his strength?" Kagome questioned.

"I can do that. I could work with him while we're at the mansion as well if you'd like." Rio commented.

"That would be great, I didn't want to ask I wasn't sure what your schedule was while I'm there." Kagome responded.

"I'll send him to you if I am unable to train him during the time we're there. What do you want his schedule to be?" Rio questioned.

"I want him to wake up with you, be ready for breakfast when we eat. Send him to bathe when you leave to go to the mansion and I'm sure he'll crash after dinner." Kagome answered.

"Since we are going to the mansion every day, I won't be going during dinner. Once the work is caught up there and you are released I will be resuming that schedule." Rio stated.

"Okay, I wasn't sure how that was going to work." Kagome informed him. "Well, I need to inform the children of what's going on."

Once she returned to the study, Kagome explained what was going on to the children. At first they had been excited, they thought they had someone new to play with. When she explained that he would be far too busy to play with them their demeanor changed a bit, at least until she told them that Torin would be responsible for a lot of their chores. Mesuko came shortly after summoned, and Kagome had her size Torin for clothing. One thing she added was that her birthmark was to be placed in the left shoulder of the shirt, denoting to any that saw him that she owned him. Mesuko informed Kagome that she would have the clothes done by tomorrow evening before leaving the estate. She then informed Torin of his schedule and trimmed up his ragged hair before sending him to the bathhouse. During dinner, Kagome was amazed at how much Torin ate. At first he had barely filled his bowl, but once he had finished it Kagome told him to get his fill and he quickly refilled the bowl.

The next couple of days passed by quickly. The group ate breakfast in the morning and then headed to the mansion. Shippo continued his training under Sesshoumaru and Torin trained under Rio. Rin watched her in the forge part of the time, and watched Shippo and Sesshoumaru the rest of the time. When they returned to the estate, Rio put Torin to work on the fence and within two days it was complete. Kagome used the time to teach the children. Before leaving the second day, Kagome informed Sesshoumaru that she needed to go to the auction, and he told her to take the day off. When morning came, Rio stayed at the house with the children and Torin guided Kagome to the block. She had never been to a slave auction, so she knew little of what to expect. Netali had some memories of the slave block, but more often then not, she'd sent someone in her place.

Kagome watched without bidding for nearly an hour. It occurred to her that they were selling males first beginning with the least skills. She knew that she needed a groundskeeper and a cook/maid at very least. She remembered now why she barely ever came to the block herself, she was about to be bored out of her mind. She looked back up at the block as she heard them bringing someone out with chains, this was the first person that had been bound before entering the block. Kagome watched in horror as the male was placed on the stand. She saw a face from the past, a person she knew was still alive because of the future, but had not realized what had become of him. Her once proud general was announced as a deserter, which explained the cuts and bruises all over him. When the bid started at one hundred gold, no one bid on him. Kagome took out the crook after a moment and lifted it, her sign of a bid. The fight against the chains that had been in the man ceased when he looked in the direction the auctioneer had pointed and saw the crook in the air. No one besides her bid on him, and after a few minutes, it was finished. Kagome and Torin walked up the stairs so that she could pay and sign the papers for him.

"Take off the chains." She told the guard.

"I'm sorry my lady, but this creature is not extremely calm, for your own safety. I would suggest they remain for the time being." The guard told her.

"He's not going to give me any trouble." Kagome stated looking over at him. "Take them off."

Kagome signed the papers, and handed the scribe a pouch she had already counted out. He recounted them quickly and then signed the papers as well. The guard reluctantly removed the chain, and the three of them made their way off the platform. Kagome walked a ways from the block, away from the crowd.

"Ramsee, I need a housekeeper, is there anyone down there I should wait for?" Kagome questioned.

"I can't say that I paid much attention, Lady Hasan." He responded.

"You've never called me that, Ramsee." Kagome stated. She then realized something, "You don't recognize me since I merged do you? I'm Netali, I came back. We'll talk more once we get back to the estate.

Torin, I want you to take him to Mesuko, tell her I want a black hakamas and a skirt, I want three sets, and tell her I want a couple dark gray shirts like I had her make Shippo. Ramsee, I'm sure you'll have to draw the skirt out for her."

"Are you sure you do not wish for me to stay?" Ramsee questioned.

"I'm sure, come back once Mesuko is finished with you." Kagome stated.

The two of them left, Kagome paid little attention to the rest of the males that were brought through, but when the females started coming out, she forced herself to pay attention. Half an hour passed before Ramsee and Torin came back to her, and another hour passed before the auction was over for the day. The three of them began making their way back to the estate.

"Okay, where do I start? Well, my name is Kagome now. Not Lady Kagome, not Kagome-sama, to you I am just Kagome. I've only been merged for a little over a week now. Before Netali came to me, I had two children, Shippo and Rin. They're seventy, they're waiting on us at the estate. Wow, I'm so glad that I found you, I didn't think I was ever going to see you again." Kagome informed him.

"It would seem as if the only thing left to do is to find the one responsible for attacking the mansion." Ramsee stated.

"Oh, Taisho and I know who did it. He's gathering information on him right now and as soon as we can find him we're going to be leaving." Kagome stated.

"I would like to go with you when you go." Ramsee commented.

"I'd rather you stayed at the estate, Ramsee. I need someone I can trust to leave the children with." Kagome stated.

When the three of them reached the estate, Kagome saw Rio practicing with Shippo. Rin was the first to see the three of them walking around the side of the house.

"Momma!" Rin yelled and began to run towards Kagome. Shippo turned immediately and began to run as well.

Kagome knelt to one knee and hugged them both, "Children, I'd like you to meet Ramsee. He's been like a father to me and is a very good friend of mine from a long time ago."

"A long time ago, like back before you died, momma?" Shippo questioned.

"Yes, Shippo." She answered. "Rio, it looks like you're not going to have to stay here any longer, I have more then adequate protection now."

"I'm sorry, Kagome-sama, but I can not validate that you would be protected by his presence." Rio stated.

Kagome had to instantly reach her arm out to stop Ramsee, "Rio, this is Ramsee, my general. I've known this man since I was a pup. I hold equal trust in only two other people and that is my uncle and Taisho. If you don't trust him, you'll have to take it up with Taisho himself."

"I will do so, but in the mean time, I will not leave the estate with him here." Rio commented.

"Very well, he will go to the estate with us in the morning." Kagome stated. "Torin, go draw a bath. Children, lets go check the forge, I'm going to need to make a sword."

Torin ran off to obey Kagome's orders and Kagome took Ramsee's arm and pulled him away from Rio, whom he had continued to glare at since his original comment. The children took their places beside them and they walked over to the forge.

Ramsee turned to Kagome and spoke in the language of their homeland, "I hope that is not the children's father."

"No, he's not. He's one of Taisho's generals. He was assigned to protect us until I got staff within the estate." Kagome returned in their language.

"I see. It would seem as if he's taken his job a little personal. Where is their father, Kagome?" He questioned.

"Our daddy died a long time ago, Ramsee." Shippo stated.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Ramsee stated, looking down at the two of them.

"Oh, it's okay, we still have momma, and since you were like a daddy to her, you can be to us too right?" Rin questioned.

Kagome's hand immediately rose to her mouth as she tried to contain the cry that threatened to come out, she had not realized at this point how desperately the children wanted a father in their life. Ramsee began to speak to keep attention away from her, "Well, since I was like a father to her, would I not be a grandfather to you?" He questioned.

"Yea, that would make sense." Rin agreed.

Kagome sat down at the stool near her table and looked over everything that she had. "Ramsee, would you rather have one of our blades or a katana?" She questioned, resuming the language of the region.

"One of ours, if you have the mold for it." Ramsee answered.

"I don't, but I have what I need to make one." Kagome stated.

She began to clear off the table and took out one of the stones she had set aside, she had chosen this stone to make the mold for the sword of her homeland, but had not found it necessary to make it until now. Torin returned shortly after Kagome began carving the stone. She paused her work and went to the bathhouse, she extended her crook into the water which added a healing property to the water and left Ramsee left to take his bath and heal his wounds. Kagome then sent Shippo into the house to get a brush and her scissors so that she could cut his hair once he had finished, which had been in too bad of shape to cut before the bath. Before Ramsee had come out of the bathhouse, a messenger brought a set of clothes from Mesuko, and she sent Torin to deliver the clothes to Ramsee. Kagome was taking a break from her carving when Ramsee came back from the bathhouse. As he approached, she noticed that the past century had not been kind to her general and friend. He looked as if he had aged more then he should have, and his hair, which was down to the middle of his back, was much longer then it should have been. Kagome moved from the stool and had him sit down.

"Do you want your hair long, or like it used to be?" She questioned.

"As it should be." He answered.

Kagome began to cut his hair just above the shoulders. When she was finished, she realized something. She went into the house and took out her sword and harness and took it out to Ramsee. She helped him adjust the harness and then placed the sword within it, which positioned the large crescent blade across his back.

"I know that sword is a little light for you, but it will do until I finish this one." Kagome stated.

"Do you not use this weapon?" Ramsee questioned.

"No, I use my bow or my katana." Kagome answered.

"I don't think the general likes the idea of me having a blade." Ramsee stated, looking across the property to Rio who was sitting on the porch of the servant quarters watching every move that he made.

"I can understand his distrust to a point, but he's taking it a little too far. This is my house, which means my rules are followed." Kagome answered.

"Well, I'm going to get reacquainted with a blade." Ramsee stated, walking a short ways away.

"Can we watch?" Shippo questioned.

"If you'd like." Ramsee answered.

The children immediately moved so that they could see better. Ramsee positioned himself between the forge and the well, giving Kagome the ability to keep her children in sight. A minute later, Rio walked into the forge. "Do you truly believe it safe for him to have a blade?" He questioned.

"Yes, I don't see anything wrong with _my general _having a sword." Kagome answered.

"I don't see how you can trust him. Any good general would die to protect their liege, and yet you died and he lived." Rio stated.

That pissed Kagome off. She stood up and nearly screamed at him, "You don't know anything about how I died, General Riomaru. Don't you dare point a finger at him like it was his fault." She walked out of the forge and saw everyone looking at her. "Ramsee, keep him away from my children." She stated, pointing at Rio and immediately turned to leave the estate.

Kagome was seeing red all the way to the mansion. Due to Relina's orders, the doors opened immediately as Kagome approached as did the front doors. As soon as she found someone, she questioned where Sesshoumaru was located. Within a few minutes, Kagome was notified that Sesshoumaru was within his study waiting for her. When she walked into the room, she bowed for a moment and then approached the desk.

"Can I speak candidly?" She questioned.

"Of course." Sesshoumaru responded.

"I was going to inform you of all this tomorrow but since I was forced to come today, I'll take care of it all now. I bought Ramsee on the slave block earlier. When I told your general that his protection wasn't needed, he stated that he didn't trust him, even after I told him who he was. I gave Ramsee one of my blades to carry, and your general all but accused him of being responsible for killing me. I want him off my property, Sesshoumaru. You know Ramsee, and you know that he is trustworthy." Kagome stated, containing her anger as best as she could.

"What did Rio say?" He questioned.

"That any good general would have died to protect me, but that was after asking if it was really safe for him to have a sword." Kagome answered.

"I will go to your estate to settle this." Sesshoumaru stated.

Kagome was still pissed as they walked out of the mansion, she was still pissed when they walked back through the front gates of the estate. What really pissed her off, however, was when she saw Rio with a blade pulled and him and Ramsee were standing off, the children and Torin behind Ramsee.

"General Riomaru, stand down." Sesshoumaru ordered.

As soon as Rio heard his voice he turned, and upon seeing him, immediately sheathed his blade. Once done, Ramsee placed his sword back in it's cradle on his back. "Taisho-sama…" Rio began.

"I've heard enough already, get what you brought here and go back to the barracks, your assignment here is over. Hasan has found a more then adequate guard." Sesshoumaru stated.

Rio was left with no options, he bowed to Sesshoumaru and began walking to the servant quarters. Sesshoumaru immediately began walking up to Ramsee. Upon seeing him approach, Ramsee dropped to a knee and the children ran forward. Each child hugged one of his legs, which surprised him for a moment, but he allowed them to continue. He reached his arm forward to Ramsee, who instinctively took it as he stood up.

"I've seen you in much better shape, but I am relieved to see you my old friend." Sesshoumaru told him.

"I'm better now then I have been in a while, I am glad to see you as well, Taisho-sama." Ramsee stated.

"Taisho," Kagome interrupted as she took out Ramsee's papers. "could you revoke his slave status for me? It also lists him as a deserter, could you revoke that as well?" She questioned.

"Give the papers to me and I will have them signed for you when you arrive tomorrow." He answered.

Kagome watched as Rio left the estate, never turning back to look at them. Sesshoumaru knew that he was gone as well, and turned to the children. "Shippo, Rin, you must let go now." He stated.

The two of them let go of him and looked up at him. "He wanted to kill Ramsee for coming between him and us." Shippo informed him.

"If it were a century ago, I'm sure Ramsee would have killed him before we were able to arrive." Sesshoumaru informed them.

"I am not what I was then, but I will be soon enough." Ramsee commented.

"Children, I must return to the mansion now, I will see you in the morning." Sesshoumaru informed them.

Sesshoumaru turned to face Kagome and hesitated for a moment, "I'll take care of Rio." He stated. Kagome smiled and nodded at him, he had not wanted to say 'see you in the morning' because he had wanted to say 'see you later.' So he had decided to say nothing at all. With a nod as a reply he turned and began to walk away. Kagome turned and watched him leave, and once he was gone, Ramsee was the first to speak.

"I see one thing that has changed since you came back." He commented with a slight smile.

Kagome turned around and stared at him for a moment, "And what exactly do you think has changed?"

"I may be getting old, I'm not blind, nor am I deaf. Your eyes have not changed, I can still read them. Some times a lack of words says more then entire pages." Ramsee answered.

Kagome returned to her work on the mold. Once it was finished, Rin and Shippo went to the garden to play their game of 'kill the weeds', and Torin followed after them. Kagome and Ramsee went inside the house. After making a pot of tea, the two of them went to the sitting room. Kagome began telling Ramsee the tale of who she really was. She talked about falling down the well and finding Inuyasha. Told the story of how she found Shippo, and how Miroku joined the group. Lastly, she spoke of how Sango had joined the group and the first time she meet Rin. She told them how the groups had come together and how she had gone home in search of answers when Netali had first began to surface. She decided that it was best not to tell him too much about meeting Sesshoumaru in the future, or about his family which she had meet. By the end of the story, Ramsee knew that Naraku's death was only a couple weeks away, and this made him happy.


	32. Part 3 Chapter 10

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Chapter 10 - Unexpected company

Soon after dinner, everyone was in their rooms for the night. Kagome had decided to have Ramsee stay in the servant quarters so that he could watch on Torin, which he did not mind at all. The children were tucked in bed and asleep and that left Kagome sitting in her room without the ability to go to sleep. A little over a week had passed, that left almost four weeks until they were going to leave to get the others and go to find Naraku. Kagome had not told anyone where Naraku would be located, she was too afraid that someone would decide to go after him on their own. Truth be known, with Ramsee to watch the children, Kagome had considered going after him herself. She was very glad to have Ramsee back, and she wondered if any others had survived Naraku's attack on the estate. She knew at least one full blooded jackal remained unaccounted for since Hakim had been full blooded jackal. She wondered if she had messed time up with her buying Ramsee. It didn't seem as if anyone else would have bought him, but that would only have meant that he would have been held in the cell for another week before being placed back on the block. Eventually, the slave traders would have relocated him to another area to try to sell him, or he would have broken away from them if he had ever regained some of his strength. Having considered everything enough, Kagome decided to lay down to see if she could talk herself into going to sleep.

When morning came, Kagome went out to the forge as she did every morning to check on the fire and saw Ramsee already dressed and working with Torin. The boy was not having an easy time lifting the heavy blade, but she knew that to use the sword would teach him about fighting as well as build his strength. After adding some coal to the forge, Kagome made her way back inside and informed Ramsee that breakfast would be soon. By the time breakfast was almost finished, everyone was dressed and in the dinning room. While everyone ate, Kagome looked over the table. It seemed as if no one here had any cares. Soon Naraku would be dead and life could go on and Kagome hoped that it would be like it was right now. Her children were laughing and joking. Ramsee and Torin were talking about what Torin needed to do to build more strength. Kagome was content with life. As she looked at the end of the table, she realized that only one thing could be different, someone could be sitting at the far end of the table with them. Kagome knew that centuries would have to pass before Sesshoumaru could live life like this with them, but she was content to wait. The day would come when he no longer had the political demands on him and he could be at this house or any other house sitting with them. '_One day_.' Kagome whispered in her mind with a smile. Kagome realized that she missed traveling with him. He had not been forced to use the rules of politics when they had been out in the wilderness searching for Naraku. '_One day, he'll be with us_.' She reminded herself as she turned back to finish her breakfast. As Kagome got ready to leave the estate, Ramsee decided to stay at the estate with Torin and train him. She knew that it was because he felt out of place being around the soldiers now. Rio's words had struck him hard, she knew that much. The older youkai had more then likely fought with himself over the past century over the very same idea, especially since he had been branded a deserter. She knew that it would take him a while to come back to life and begin to be his old self again, and until then she would not force anything upon him.

Once the three of them made their way close to the forge, Shippo ran off to join Sesshoumaru while Kagome and Rin went to the forge. Rin was becoming very familiar with the contents of the forge and was very useful in handing something to Kagome when she needed it. Over an hour passed before Kagome's attention was drawn to a knock on the side of the forge, alerting her to someone's presence. When she turned, she saw that it was Rio. He took a few steps into the forge before speaking.

"Hasan-sama, I wished to apologize for my actions yesterday. I was too focused on his status as a deserter to understand how well you knew him, and I was unaware of the fact that Taisho-sama knew him personally. I hope you can forgive me, I was only concerned for your well being." He stated and ended with a bow.

"Rio, you don't have a clue what your words did to that man. If Ramsee can forgive you, then I will. The two of you will not be alone when you talk however, either Taisho or myself will have to be there. Ramsee is close to seven hundred years old, he takes my families pride very seriously. If you say the wrong thing to him, he's liable to kill you." Kagome informed him.

"I understand. I will speak to him as soon as is possible." Rio replied.

"I don't think you do understand, Rio. How would you feel if you guarded Taisho's daughter from birth into adulthood. Survive Taisho being assassinated and then listen to his daughter dying because you can't get to her. Then be labeled a deserter because you did live, then tell me you understand." Kagome told him.

"I wasn't aware of how he survived, he's always refused to tell anyone what happened, that's why he was labeled a deserter." Rio stated.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe he did it so that someone would kill him? My people do not believe in taking your own life in order to have an honorable death, that's considered cowardice because you lack the courage to face what is in front of you. To him the only honorable death he could have is to die defending someone of my blood line." Kagome informed him.

"I see that there is much that I do not understand about your people." Rio answered. "I will leave so that you can continue your work."

Kagome only nodded at him before he left, unready to let go of the anger she felt towards him. She could only hope that with Rio's new information he would kill the rumor of Ramsee being a deserter. When Kagome had finished her work for the day, she left the forge to find Sesshoumaru sitting with Shippo and Rin on the mat. No one else was around, not even Rio had stayed after practice. Kagome approached the group and sat down.

"Rio has asked me to go with him to your estate to speak with Ramsee." Sesshoumaru informed her.

"I told him that I did not want them speaking alone." Kagome answered.

"When do you think this should occur?" He questioned.

"When ever you have a chance. I don't think waiting will do Ramsee any good. This deserter rumor is going to have to die before Ramsee can walk with his shoulders back again." Kagome answered.

"I agree. Had I been here more, I would have known of him being in the possession of a slaver." Sesshoumaru responded.

"Regrets won't do anything to help him. I'm not really sure what to do to help him." Kagome stated.

"You remember that drinking game we played once when you were here?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"Yes, I remember, where I'm from it's called shots." Kagome answered.

"I'm going to have him come to the estate after dinner, perhaps playing 'shots' will help it come out of him." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Well, drinking does have a way of getting things out of you. I'll warn you, his tolerance is a lot higher then mine was. I wish I could be there, you are going to get so smashed." Kagome stated with a laugh.

"Smashed?" He questioned.

"Yea, it's the term we use when you've had too much to drink." Kagome informed him.

"If anyone is going to get 'smashed' it will be him, drinking does not get the better of me." He stated.

Kagome nearly fell over laughing as images of the two of them trying to stand came to her mind. Both of them had been smashed that night. The two of them had been leaning on each other for support as they tried to walk and neither one of them found the other stable support.

"Do you find something amusing about that statement?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"You may not remember being smashed, but I know of two examples of us taking shots and we both were undeniably smashed." Kagome answered, holding up two fingers to add drama to her statement.

"You cannot out drink me, and if you believe you can I will be forced to call for a rematch. I warn you, however, I have become more accustomed to drinking in the past century." He stated.

"You're on. You and Ramsee have your fun tonight, but in a few days we'll have our rematch and we'll see who can out drink who." Kagome stated, her face serious to show her challenge.

Sesshoumaru responded with a challenging look and an almost inaudible humph. Their conversation ended shortly after and Kagome headed home with the children. She could only hope that she was up to the challenge of out drinking Sesshoumaru. Netali had been accustomed to zambuka, a whiskey that came from a region north of her homeland, while Sesshoumaru'd had nothing stronger then saki so it had been easy for her to out drink him in the past, but of course she had not told him that she could have handled more. She'd never really tried to out drink him, she had simply enjoyed the calm demeanor drinking seemed to bring out of him.

When the three of them returned home, Kagome saw that Ramsee was still working with Torin on how to use the blade from her homeland. Kagome had to admit, Torin was getting stronger, Ramsee knew exactly what he was doing when it came to training the boy, but then again, Kagome would not place a number to the amount of soldiers Ramsee had been in charge of training. She interrupted the training long enough to take a fang and a claw from Ramsee so that she could begin work on his blade. She sent the children inside to begin their studies and made her way to the forge. Kagome had been working for nearly an hour when a messenger came to call Ramsee to the estate. She hadn't been sure up to that point weather or not they would come here or they would simply call him there.

With Ramsee away, Kagome decided to bring Torin into the forge. She had him sit in front of the sharpening wheel and work on the edge of the blade he had been practicing with while she waited for the metal she was working on to cool. It would take three full bars to complete the sword for Ramsee, and so it would take some time for them all to melt. Kagome also took a couple bars and placed them into another melting bowl so that she could use the mold she had carved that divided the larger bar into four smaller parts. She would need this when it came time to repair armor and even for reforging weapons. After working with him for nearly half an hour, Kagome dismissed Torin and told him to wash up and rest for a while. She then poured the now melted iron into the mold and set it aside, it would take until tomorrow morning for the metal to cool enough for her to be able to begin tempering the blade. It would only be a couple hours before dinner, and Kagome had the thought that Ramsee would not be returning to the estate until well past dark. Dinner came and went and Kagome continued her schedule as she did every night. After dinner, the children went to the bathhouse while she cleaned the kitchen. Once that was finished, she would tuck them into bed and go to the bathhouse herself. By the time Kagome was returning from the bathhouse, she heard someone coming into the estate. She made her way to the front of the house as saw Ramsee making his way to the servant quarters on unstable legs. She debated with herself weather or not she would help him to his room and finally decided that as long as he was able to stay on both feet, she would not intervene.

Morning came and everything moved at its normal pace. Ramsee seemed much better when he and Torin came into the room to eat. His demeanor had changed and was beginning to resemble the proud man she had known for years. Ramsee decided to remain at the estate with Torin again today to continue his training, and Kagome informed him that he would have his own blade by the end of the day. The visit to the mansion followed the same schedule that it always did. Once Kagome had finished her work for the day, Sesshoumaru told her to take a couple days at her estate while the remaining work for her was gathered. She knew with that statement that she would only be working at the mansion for a couple more days before she would be released from the contract and would be able to begin work at her estate.

As Kagome approached her house she was a little caught off guard. She was greeted by the sight of several guards standing outside the front entrance to the property and Ramsee standing inside the gate. As she came close one of the guards turned to speak to her.

"Hasan-sama, these people came into the city earlier wishing to find you." The soldier told her.

Kagome moved to look behind him, only to have him step completely out of the way to reveal Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha. "You can go now, I know these people. They will be remaining here for a time as my guests." The guards bowed at her dismissal and began to leave, Kagome contained a reaction until they were far enough away that an outburst wouldn't be too noticed. "You guys are here!" She squealed and moved to hug Sango. After she released Sango, she stepped back and motioned for them to follow. "Come on." Once they were inside the gates she stopped again. "Everyone this is Ramsee, my guard and a very good friend for a long time, and this is Torin, my apprentice."

Ramsee bowed to the group, already knowing each of them by Kagome's story the day before. The group made their way inside and Kagome showed them around the house. Miroku and Inuyasha would share the third bedroom during their stay and Sango would stay with Kagome. After they all placed their weapons within their rooms they all meet back in the sitting room. Nearly an hour passed as Kagome informed them of the minor things that they needed to know. The story that would be told of how they meet would be that Kagome had meet them while traveling to the western mansion. They had all remained together for a short time while their paths had taken them in the same direction. They all understood why Kagome had to fabricate stories about all of them, to tell the truth would raise question about her original home and that was something she wished to avoid. With the story being told, Kagome sent the children to the study to begin their school work. Even though there was no such thing as school, at least not as Kagome knew it, she still referred to the time of day that they were to work on their reading as school time. Miroku decided to join them, and Inuyasha decided to join Ramsee outside. Kagome and Sango made their way to the forge.

"I really didn't expect you guys to come so soon." Kagome began as she continued the work on Ramsee's blade.

"We really didn't think we'd come this soon either, but we all missed you. I knew you were excited to have your own house so I wanted to at least come to see it once." Sango responded.

"How was everything, when you came into the city I mean." Kagome questioned.

"Not very good until we said your name, then they brought us here without a problem. No one attacked us, that surprised me quite a bit." Sango stated.

"Sango, there are humans that live in the city. All the demons here are used to being around humans." Kagome stated.

"It was still a little surprising. I've never been in a demon city before, I really didn't know what to expect." Sango responded.

"This is Sesshoumaru's capital city, would you really expect it to be any less disciplined then he is?" Kagome commented.

Sango laughed slightly, "You do have a point, how are things with the two of you?" She questioned.

"I really haven't gotten to see him that much. In exchange for all the furniture on the property I've been working at the estate, doing things their blacksmith lacks skill in. Rin and Shippo have been going with me, he's been training Shippo how to use his blade and even how to control his aura. Rin's been staying with me, I can see it now, that girl is going to turn into a blacksmith you just wait and see." Kagome answered.

"They seem to have adjusted to everything rather well." Sango stated.

"My uncle helped them with that. I went to see him in the dream world. He's accepted me back into the clan and accepted the children as well. He taught them everything they needed to know in order to pass as noble children." Kagome responded.

"You weren't kidding when you said his abilities were beyond imagining." Sango retorted.

It was nearly dinner time when Kagome finished working on Ramsee's blade. Sango and Kagome had talked about the property and everything that could be done to it. Sango had been surprised that she had so much money. To Kagome it really didn't seem like a lot, but she knew that was because of Netali's memories. Sango helped Kagome with dinner and they continued their chit chatting. Once dinner was complete and everyone had bathed, it was decided to go to sleep early. Kagome felt herself almost be pulled into the dream world while she slept, but the place never took form. The only thing that occurred was that she heard her uncle's voice, 'Horus will arrive in the morning, you and your group are to come to me.' The dream then faded and Kagome found herself waking earlier then normal.

As she moved to go to the kitchen to begin breakfast, she found that everyone had woken early and they all spoke of hearing a voice that invited them to come to see them. Kagome explained the dream to them, and informed Torin that she was going to be allowing him to go visit his family until she returned. Before he left, Kagome gave him some money so that he and his family would eat well while he stayed with them. The boy had beamed up at her and had even given her a quick hug before remembering her place. Her only response to the untraditional slip the boy had made was a quick ruffling of his hair. When the group began to go outside, everyone saw a gargantuan bird fly near the estate on its way to the mansion.

--

The guards of the mansion had not known what to think of the foreign bird when it placed a litter on the ground and then landed. They knew the bird to be peaceful since the litter had white flags tied on two sides. They had expected the litter to open and for the envoy to come out of it. However, they all shied away as the bird itself was surrounded by energy and transformed into a man. They had never seen anyone like him. He had shoulder length wavy black hair, dark colored eyes that had a mark that extending from the corner of his eyes. His skin was dark, darker then anyone they had seen. He wore cuffs on his biceps and forearms and guards on his shins. He wore only a mid-thigh skirt with a metal belt around the top of it. The man said nothing until he was stopped when he reached the front doors.

"Taisho." He stated.

"You must tell us who you are before we can allow you entry." The sentry informed him.

The man lifted a brow, "Taisho."

"Tell us who you are and we will let you in." They repeated.

The man responded by glaring at both of them, "Taisho." He repeated more forcefully.

"If you will not inform us of who you are, we will have to remove you." They stated and began to pull out their blades. The mans only response to seeing their blades was a change in his stance and a flex in his hands which made his knuckles crack.

Kagome came running across the courtyard at this time, "Horus, no."

The man turned around to see who had called him. All it took to drop him to a knee was for him to see the birthmark that was showing on her chest. "Lady Hasan, I was sent by the Great One, your uncle to retrieve you and your group. These fools dared to pull a weapon on me." He stated in his natural language.

"You did not announce yourself, they won't let you in unless you do." Kagome responded, using the same language he had.

"My name means nothing, I was sent by the Great One, your uncle to complete a task and I will kill any guard that dares to pull a weapon on me until I have completed it." He stated.

"That won't be necessary, Horus. Follow me, I will take you to Lord Taisho." Kagome responded.

Horus rose to his feet and began to follow Kagome. Kagome walked around the side of the mansion to reveal Sesshoumaru training near the mat. Horus simply began to walk up to the area and pulled out a piece of paper to hand to him. "Taisho." He called. Sesshoumaru turned around and immediately walked up to the man. Horus extended the paper to him and stood motionless.

Sesshoumaru looked over the paper before turning to Rio, "You already have my orders for while I am gone." Rio nodded at him and then Sesshoumaru turned back to Horus and nodded. Horus turned on his heels and began to walk away, Sesshoumaru following after him. Once everyone had approached the litter, Sesshoumaru turned to face everyone before entering. "When he locks the door it will cast a sleeping spell on everyone. It will lift when we arrive at our destination."

Everyone nodded at Sesshoumaru and everyone walked into the litter. Horus stood at the opened door until everyone had become comfortable and he received a nod from Sesshoumaru. The door closed and everyone hear the click of the lock going into place and soon all nine of the passengers had gone into dreamless sleep.


	33. Part 3 Chapter 11

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Here we are everyone, this is the chapter that no one has read before… As always I hope you enjoy, and if you do I'd love to hear about it so please review…  
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Chapter 11 - New Lessons

It seemed as if only moments had passed before everyone began to wake up from their sleep. When Horus opened the door everyone stood up and began to move towards the door. Sesshoumaru motioned for Kagome and the children to exit first. In the distance, directly in front of Kagome, there stood the large stone palace, a place she knew well. Once everyone had exited the litter, Kagome turned to look at everyone.

"Here we are everyone, my uncle's capital city." She stated with a smile as she extended her arm. "Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Miroku, I would suggest you remove your outer haori."

"This is the entire city?" Sango questioned looking over the wide spread stone structures.

"Yes, and there is Pharaoh's palace." Kagome pointed directly in front of them.

"Pharaoh?" Inuyasha questioned.

"It's similar to the term of emperor, it is my uncle's title." She explained. "Let's get going, we need to get indoors before it gets too late in the morning."

"It is always so warm, Kagome-sama?" Miroku questioned.

"Right now is nothing compared to midday." She stated.

Kagome began to walk towards the palace. They were in the soldiers area of the city, the only place open enough to support Horus' size as he landed. Kagome walked holding each of the children's hands, behind her walked Sesshoumaru, then Inuyasha, and Miroku and Sango walked beside each other in the back. Ramsee took his place walking beside Sesshoumaru, slightly away from the group. Kagome's eyes remained unmoving as they walked through the training area that laid beside the palace. Kagome could hear that in the area ahead of them there were soldiers training. Everyone in the area dropped to a knee and extended their arms behind them with their palms open. She nodded at the trainer as they passed and he called everyone back to their feet. Soon everyone could see large stone stairs that lead into the huge building. The sentries at the large open entryway only lowered their head as they walked past. Kagome detoured to a side room as soon as they entered.

"No one is allowed to enter the palace armed so everyone is going to have to leave their weapons here." Kagome informed them as she began to pull her sword out of the tie on her hakamas.

Everyone else followed suit and even Inuyasha handed over his sword without a fight. Happy that everyone had decided to follow her instructions without argument, Kagome smiled at them all and began to walk down the large hallway. As they reached the end of the hallway, it opened up into a large room. On each side of the room, where the walls of the hallway had been, there were large stone columns lining the way to a throne. Kagome could already see the occupant of the seat.

The man on the throne looked perfectly human. A white and red crown covered the top of his head making his hair unseen. He wore a blue cloak that covered everything besides his arms, which were crossed in front of him on his lap. He held a crook in one hand and a flail in the other. The man looked as if he were in his late twenties, but Kagome knew better. As the group entered the hall, the man sat so rigid and still he almost looked like he was carved from stone. Kagome approached the stairs that lead to the throne and dropped to her knees, extending her arms backwards with palms showing just as the soldiers had bowed to her. Everyone besides Kagome, Sesshoumaru, and the children had thought the man to be a statue until his arm moved and extended the crook towards her.

"Approach my niece." He stated.

Kagome remained lowered until she bowed her head to the crook and then stood straight. "You sent for us, my uncle."

He nodded and looked to his side and nodded. "Inform them of what is about to happen." He commanded as four priests began to walk towards the group.

"The priests are about to place necklaces on you so that you can understand us, they will also make you recognized as guests of the palace." Kagome informed them as she motioned for the priest. Once the necklaces had been placed around everyone, Kagome turned so that she faced the side of her friends as well as her uncle's side. "My uncle, I beg to put before you, my children, Shippo and Rin." The children moved forward and copied Kagome's bow, only to lift themselves when he nodded.

"Approach, Shippo and Rin." He stated, setting down his crook. Once the children had approached him, he lifted both his hands and placed one on each side of their head. "I embrace you as the nephew and niece that you are." He stated as he knelt forward and kissed their foreheads. He removed his hands from them and sat straight as the children walked backwards away from the throne. Priests guided them down the stairs and to the side of the group.

"I beg to put before you, Sesshoumaru Taisho, lord of the western lands of Japan." Kagome introduced. Sesshoumaru approached in the same manner as the children had displayed.

"Approach, Sesshoumaru." He stated. Once Sesshoumaru had approached, he placed his hands on each side of his head. "You are the eldest of your crescent breed, and so I embrace you as the nephew that you are." He stated before kissing his forehead. When he had been released, he backed away as the children had and was guided down by the priests.

"I beg to put before you, Inuyasha Taisho, half-brother of Lord Taisho." Inuyasha approached in the same manner as his brother, and reluctantly allowed the priests to guide him back. "I beg to put before you, Miroku, my friend and a priest in the lands of Japan." Miroku followed the same procedure as everyone else. "I beg to put before you, Sango, my friend that is as a sister to me."

Her uncle glanced over at Kagome when she stated sister and looked back at Sango as she knelt, "Approach, Sango." She stood up and had a questioning look on her face as she walked forward. He lifted his hands to the sides of her head. "You may not be family by blood, but even a sister of claim is family." He stated and kissed her forehead before releasing her. Sango backed away, her cheeks red with a blush. Once she had been guided to the rest, he picked up the crook and flail and then looked past the group to look at Ramsee, "General Ramsee, report to the barracks so that you may reequip yourself." Ramsee dropped to his knee in a bow and then turned to leave the room. He then turned his attention to the rest of the group. "Members of the family refer to me as uncle, but to those outside of the family I am called Pharaoh, though in your tongue you would say Seti-sama." He then turned back to Kagome, "Let us go to the sitting room, there are issues that must be addressed."

Seti stood and began to walk to a side door, Kagome and the children followed after him, followed closely by Sesshoumaru and the others took their place in the back. The group walked into a small chamber beside the audience hall and the large double doors they had walked through closed behind them. Seti walked up to a table and set down the crook and flail. He removed his crowns to reveal shoulder length wavy dark hair. He then removed the large cloak. He wore a mid-thigh length white skirt with a thin metal belt around the top that had loops on the sides similar to Kagome's belts. On both of his arms above his biceps were thin golden bands that held no pendants, as they had seen on others since arriving, and he wore sandals that laced halfway up his calves. After placing the crook and flail in the loops, he picked up a thick metal collar and placed it around his neck and clasped it in the back. He then picked up a long white cape and hooked it to the shoulders of the collar. Seti turned his attention to the group for a moment and motioned that they continue to follow him. They made their way down a hall. They walked into a sitting room which was occupied by a woman when they entered. She knelt to the floor as soon as the group entered. Seti instructed her to take the children and informed Kagome that she was to be their nurse during their stay. When the group sat down, Seti looked over them for a moment before beginning to speak.

"I had the group of you brought here for two reasons. The most important being your enemy had intentions of striking against you while the two groups were separated. The second being," He turned directly towards Kagome before continuing. "you need to become reacquainted with your abilities. The spirit of Netali has aged six hundred years and with it her strength is much stronger then she could prepare you for. You, Kagome have never trained with me. Netali's memories of training will do you no good. I trained you and all of your cousins according to your age. How I will deal with an eight hundred year old will be quite different then how I dealt with a hundred and fifty year old." Seti turned his attention towards the rest of the group. "I would offer all of you the ability to learn our way of fighting, but it remains up to you weather or not you accept."

Each of the group took turns in accepting Seti's offer. Sesshoumaru, however, was the only person to question. "Uncle, you are far too busy to train everyone present. How do you intent on teaching everyone?"

"You, my nephew, will join Kagome in learning from me. Inuyasha will be taught by one of my generals. Miroku will be taught by the high priest of the temple. Sango is a matter that has yet to be discussed." Seti stated and then turned his attention back to Kagome. "Have you offered her any type of adoption into the family?" He questioned.

"No, I haven't." Kagome answered.

"Sango," He stated, drawing her attention directly towards him. "neither a jackal nor an angel makes a declaration of family towards someone lightly. You should know what it is that Kagome has offered to you. To accept would mean that you would be taken in as a sister to her among the entire clan and with that acceptance, protection. She has also offered a bonding to the clan that would allow you the abilities of a priestess. What say you to this?"

"If I accept, what is it that will be asked of me?" Sango questioned, unsure exactly what was going on.

"Never turn your back on one of the clan when they are in need and the same will be returned to you." Seti answered.

"Am I still going to be human if I'm adopted into the family?" She asked.

"That would depend on you. You could be adopted as you are and remain the same, or a full blood adoption could be done and you would become angel." He answered.

"I'm not really sure what I want to do, I'd have to think about it. How long are we going to be here?" Sango asked.

"A week, maybe longer, it would depend on the progress of Kagome's training." He answered.

"I will give you an answer before we leave, if that would be okay with you." Sango stated.

"That would be fine, Sango, I would prefer that you take your time in making your decision. For the time being, you will join Inuyasha in learning from one of the generals. I will have each of you shown to your rooms now. You will find more appropriate clothing within the rooms. Kagome, you will come to me for training once you have changed your clothing. All of you will be brought together in a common room before the evening meal." Seti stated as he stood up.

He walked over to a stand that held a large metal hoop and picked up a rod next to it. He struck the hoop and it emitted a loud ring, telling everyone unfamiliar with the culture that it was a chime. Shortly after the chime had been struck a guard entered the room and he was instructed to escort everyone to their rooms. Everyone stood up and followed the guard out of the room. Kagome made a mental note where everyone was being placed, and lastly she was shown the children's room and then her own, which was the same room she'd had during her stay nearly a century ago. Everything looked the same as it had when she had last seen it. She moved over to the wardrobe and decided on what to wear to practice in. She decided to wear a loose tank style shirt and a mid-thigh skirt. After looping a belt around her skirt she slipped her crooks into place. She took out a loose robe to wear over her clothes and made her way out to the training area within the palace. Her uncle was sitting near a large orb that rested a table. Kagome knew that this orb was used during energy training, but she had never used it before. She sat down in front of the orb, as her uncle had motioned for her to do.

"Take both of the crooks and hold them out towards the orb." He instructed. Once Kagome had done so, he continued his instruction. "Focus your energy into the hand that holds the larger crook. Now, push the energy into the crook. Alright, pull the same amount of energy you placed into the crook with the smaller crook. From the crook, draw the energy into your hand. Now cast the remaining energy into the orb from the larger crook. Now I want you to complete the cycle again, only this time, expel the extra energy at the same time you draw it into the smaller crook."

Kagome continued the cycles, her timing becoming more and more accurate. As the energy moved from one crook to the other, small bolts of lightning shot from one to the other. When the energy was pushed into the orb from the larger, another bolt of lightning could be seen entering the orb. Seti watched as the bolts of lightning began to dance faster and faster, the power illuminating the surrounding area. At first there was a burst of light nearly every twenty seconds, but as she continued the cycle it slowly became faster. Using the crooks in such a fashion would give Kagome a near endless amount of energy to fight with, and it would not effect her in the least. Cycling the energy through the crooks was important to implant into to the point that it was second nature to her. As she became more familiar with this method of building energy, she could only use the excess to fight with. The result would cause her to be capable of fighting for indefinite amounts of time and when a fight was over, she would still have her full capacity of energy to draw from. After half an hour of practicing the cycles, Kagome lowered her timing down to fifteen seconds. Seti knew that it would take a long time, but eventually it would happen so quickly that there would be a continual burst of light, causing a permanent illumination in the area.

Kagome had refused to stop for the evening meal, and Seti smiled on the inside. This new member of the family was bent on learning as much as she could during her time here. He knew very little about what was driving her, but once the evening meal had been finished and a visitor to the area arrived, he believed he had a good idea. Sesshoumaru walked out into the area and watched the training that was underway. He gazed curiously at the display of light and even flinched a little at the bursts of power. Seti knew that such bursts would cause discomfort to any demon in the area, which was why he had moved everyone that normally trained in this area to another practice ground. Each burst that was cast into the orb was more then enough to kill any demon, and as her power increased, she would be capable of striking down many in a single burst. After a few minutes, Sesshoumaru's flinching calmed and he took a few steps towards the two of them. His instincts told him to steer clear of the area for his own safety, but he knew that Kagome would not cause him any harm.

"Kagome, complete the loop and cease." Seti informed her.

One more burst erupted from the crooks and then there was quiet. Kagome's body shook a little due to the amount of energy that had been cycling through her and it caused her to become lightheaded. She set down the crooks and brought a hand to her forehead. This caused Sesshoumaru's brow to drop as he moved closer to the area. Kagome jerked hard and it caused lightning to appear over her entire body. Bolts began to fly through the area. Before they could travel very far, Seti lifted a hand and drew the power to him and redirected it into the orb. He lifted his other hand and drained the power from Kagome to a point of weakness. The shaking ceased a moment later and she looked up at him.

"What happened?" She questioned.

"You practiced too long, it caused you to become supercharged. From now on, you will place your hands on the orb when you finish this training." Seti answered.

"Why did I burst like that?" Kagome questioned further.

"His aura caused it." He stated, motioning towards Sesshoumaru.

Kagome turned and saw Sesshoumaru standing near the steps that lead to the area they were sitting. His clothes had been changed and he now wore a mid-thigh skirt that was common in the region. She turned back to her uncle before speaking, "I lashed out at him?"

"No, you lashed at nothing, your body was making it's power known as a warning." He stated.

"Sesshoumaru would never harm me." She commented.

"That is why he was not hit by it." Seti responded.

"What if someone did mean me harm?" She questioned.

"All of it would have gone directly towards them. Your energy has the ability to read the intentions of the auras around you. It will always react in accurate self defense."

"You mean, if my energy reacts violently towards someone it's because they meant me harm?"

"You, your children, your family, your pack, an ally, anyone you place a value on." He explained.

"What else can you teach me?" She questioned, anxious to learn more.

"I will teach you no more today. We will continue after the morning meal." He answered.

"Yes, uncle." Kagome stated with a nod. She returned the crooks to their place in her belt and began to stand.

"Sesshoumaru, your training will begin in the morning as well." Seti stated as Kagome turned to walk away.

"As you direct, uncle." He responded, inclining his head slightly towards him.


	34. Part 3 Chapter 12

WARNING: Adult Content

I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews up to this point and all the people that sent reviews for the previous post of the story. To all that don't know me well let me say this, the more reviews I get for a chapter, the faster I post the next chapter. Now, on to the story

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_Chapter 12 - Bonds Created_

Once she had snacked a little, Kagome returned to her room for the night. After she took a bath she went across the hall and tucked Shippo and Rin into their beds. When she left the room she lent against the wall. She decided that she was not ready to go to sleep yet. She decided to go to the common room for this area of the palace, Kagome was sure that she would find cousins of hers within the room. Upon entering the room, she saw many members of the family and their friends in small groups around the room. It upset her greatly when she saw Sesshoumaru sitting towards the wall of the room, no one else recognizing his presence. As she made her way through the room many of the rooms occupants called out to her and waved her over to their groups. In response, Kagome lifted her hand into the air to recognize them and continued her current path.

"Care to have some company?" Kagome questioned upon reaching the small group of pillows gathered around were Sesshoumaru was sitting.

He inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment and motioned towards one of the pillows near him. Before he had a chance to say anything, another walked up behind Kagome and began to talk.

"Cousin, I am glad to see you return to us." Kagome looked up from her pillow and saw her youkai cousin. His breed was commonly called a hell hound. In this hybrid form, his eyes danced with flame and he had red hair a black right facing crescent showed on his forehead. In true form, his black fur burned red with fire.

"Arimon, you're a long way from home." Kagome stated looking up at her cousin.

"Indeed, tell me cousin, what is it that you are called now?" Arimon questioned.

"Kagome, and this is our cousin, Sesshoumaru. He belongs to the lands my family was sent to." Kagome stated.

"Sesshoumaru, in my home lands my name means 'burning death,' tell me, does you name carry meaning?" Arimon stated arrogantly.

"Indeed, it means 'killing perfection.'" Sesshoumaru stated with equal arrogance.

"Oh really, I wonder if your parents named you correctly." Arimon stated, looking over Sesshoumaru's smaller build.

"I could suggest a method to sate your curiosity." He commented.

"Tell me, beloved cousin," He began, turning to Kagome, "Who would win between us?"

"Sesshoumaru." Kagome stated, "And I'm not your beloved."

"Sesshoumaru? What makes you certain of this?" Arimon questioned, his pride hurt slightly.

"Because I will stand with him during any fight, and you should know that not even you could stand against two adjacent crescents." Kagome answered.

"Oh really? I wasn't told that house Hasan had been bound to another house. When did this happen?" Arimon stated. Upon hearing his words, many in the room became silent and turned their attention towards the three towards the corner.

"House Hasan is not bound to any other house. I, Higurashi Kagome and Hasan Netali, have sworn fidelity to Taisho Sesshoumaru, and I will stand with that until my soul passes to the next world. Furthermore, everyone in this room should be ashamed at how they have treated a member of this family. Did a single one of you introduce yourself to him when he came into the room?" Kagome questioned and looked around the room, everyone looking away from her eyes gave her the answer. "That's what I thought. Well, since he's not worth acknowledging as part of the family, I'm not part of it either." Kagome stated. "If it pleases you, cousin, I should like to go somewhere a little more pleasant." She questioned as she stood up.

"That pleases me greatly, beloved cousin." He stated, looking at Arimon when he had said the last.

Kagome's lack of response at the endearing term irritated Arimon, but he would not act out in such a crowded room. Kagome took Sesshoumaru by the arm and the two of them made their way out into the hall. Once they were quite a ways from the sitting room, Sesshoumaru decided to speak.

"Would you mind telling me exactly what happened in there?" He questioned.

Kagome stopped him and removed his necklace, "Hold that for now, I don't want anyone to understand us. When he said something about my house being bound to yours, he was saying that my house had been turned into a servant house." Kagome explained.

"What about his use of the term 'beloved cousin' what was his meaning behind that?" He questioned.

"You really didn't use it right either, you saying that basically meant that you were expressing a desire or admitting that we are intimately involved but not permanently attached. His statement was expressing a desire for it." She explained again.

"And your lack of response when I stated that?" He questioned again.

"Meant that I accepted your placement of me." Kagome answered.

"Placement of you?"

"That you have say over me and my children. It's a lot like admitting someone into a family pack."

"If that is the case, I release you of it."

"Since you now know what it means, you rescind?" She questioned.

"You only accepted to save face for me, I can't hold you to it." He answered

"That's not an answer to the question, Sesshoumaru." She responded.

"I would not hold you to something you did not accept honestly, beloved cousin." Sesshoumaru stated.

"And I would have found a different way to back out, if it had not been honest, beloved." Kagome responded.

Sesshoumaru reached up with one hand and held the side of her face. Kagome chose not to react other then to look into his eyes. After a moment, he lent down and softly placed a kiss on her lips. The kiss was not heated and full of passion, it was soft and full of love. It was not a kiss that would be shared between two new lovers, but one enjoyed after years of being joined. All of the times they had shared intimacy in the dream world, this was the first time either one of them had crossed the line and brought it out in the waking world. It was odd to Kagome that she felt no nervousness by his kiss or by him being so close to her. As he backed away, she opened her eyes and smiled softly at him. He left his hand on the side of her face, and with his thumb he caressed her cheek which caused her to smile more. She reached her arms out and wrapped them around his back. As she pressed the side of her face into his shoulder she could feel the heat from his skin and hear his heartbeat. It was a sound she had become accustomed to hearing, the beat was slow and strong as always. Sesshoumaru's arms were wrapped around her shoulders, the side of his face pressed against the top of her head.

"I should have done this a long time ago." Sesshoumaru admitted.

"So should I." Kagome stated in response. After a few more moments, Kagome released him and pulled back a little, "Let me show you the rest of the palace."

As he finished backing away, he nodded and waited for her to begin. Before beginning to walk away from the area, Kagome took his hand and smiled. Nearly half an hour passed when the tour took Sesshoumaru to a place he knew well. The back gardens were calm this time of night, the water shifted softly in the pool. Everything looked exactly as he could remember. The pool, the statues, the columns, the lounge chairs, everything. Without thought, Sesshoumaru slid his arm around her waist, resting his hand just beneath her belly button. Kagome smiled at the familiarity of his action and lent back towards him. After a moment, Sesshoumaru's arm moved. Before Kagome could decide what he was going to do, he picked her up and walked down the steps.

"I will not allow you to remember this as a dream." He told her softly as he began to set her down on one of the stone benches.

"I wouldn't want to." She responded looking up at him as he moved on top of her.

Sesshoumaru sat on his knees, one of her legs on either side of him. She wrapped her legs around him and lifted herself up. She brushed the side of his face with one hand and smiled when she saw him lean into it. He wrapped an arm around her back and brought her close. This time when he kissed her, she could feel heat erupt from inside her. During the kiss, Kagome felt her shirt become undone and cast to the side. Both of his hands caressed her back which caused her to tighten her grip with her legs and arch her back. Their kiss broke for a moment while they each took a breath and then it resumed. Soon Kagome felt her skirt unlatch and it too fell to the side. A moment passed and Kagome felt his hands cease their wandering on her sides and back. He gently pushed back on her shoulder and she let herself fall back onto the bench in response. Sesshoumaru began to kiss her neck, and slowly worked his way down her body. He gently sucked on one of her nipples and Kagome couldn't help but gasp a little and arch her back. The pain she had felt some time back was returning, only this time, he had caused the pain not a dream, and he would take the pain away. After moving to her other nipple he continued working his way down. Kagome felt his fingers gently rubbing her clit, and the feeling it produced did not help her sanity. She didn't want to have to wait any longer, but another part of her wanted this to last longer so that she could enjoy it. Her back arched strongly as she felt his finger slid in her, a moment later it was joined by another. Without any warning, she felt herself tare on the inside. She'd always heard of your cherry being popped, but she had not know that it would hurt this bad. A moment passed and the pain began to fade, without realizing what was going on around her, Kagome felt Sesshoumaru's tongue brush against her inner thigh lightly. As he continued, his tongue massaging her inside and out, the fire within Kagome drowned out the pain she had felt.

After a few minutes passed, Kagome felt him stop. She forced her eyes to open and looked down to see him moving back to his original position, his skirt no longer on him. As his face moved towards hers, Kagome looked into his eyes and saw that they were laced with red lines, little did she know that red was within her eyes as well. Sesshoumaru lent over her and captured her lips and Kagome wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She felt him slid into her and without thought her hands gripped his shoulders nearly breaking the skin. His lips on her quieted the painful cry that had tried to escape her mouth. For several minutes he did not move as he allowed her body to adjust. When she began to return his kiss as she had before he entered her, he slowly began to rock. Kagome was surprised that she was not in pain anymore, having always been told that the first time hurt. As time passed, his movements changed from soft and slow to hard and fast. The pain she had felt before he had begun had long since left. Her nerves danced, causing her legs to grip him and she felt every muscle in her body clench as a wave of numbness passed over her. Without consent a tear excepted her eye and slid down her cheek. She did not understand why the tear had come but she had a feeling it had something to do with her numbness and twitching muscles. As the numbness began to fade, she felt Sesshoumaru's grip on her shoulders tighten for a moment and she felt him pulse within her. After a short time, his movements stopped and the pulsing she felt within her ceased as well. He slowly lifted his face away from her neck and looked down at her. As her eyes moved to meet his, he lent towards her and placed a soft kiss on her lips before backing away again.

"It is complete. My blood flows within you, and now your blood flows within me. Neither time nor death can break the bond between us now." He whispered to her between breathes.

"Everything is as it should be then." She replied and she wrapped her arms back around him.

"As it should be." He repeated as he wrapped his arms around her back and lifted her to a sitting position.

Kagome did not go back to her room when they left the back gardens. As she fell asleep with Sesshoumaru's arms around her, she smiled, in her own mind everything felt as if it was in place. Kagome had to think about what Sesshoumaru had said, 'my blood flows within you.' She tried to remember when that had happened and realized that it was when he had tried to save her life by giving her his blood. Because he had done it to save her life, his blood had infused into her soul when he had done that. Content that she had found the answer, she settled in and allowed sleep to come. The purr that came from her as she cuddled against him was matched by him as they both fell asleep.

When both of them arrived in the training area after the morning meal, Seti turned and stood up upon their entrance. He gave them both a look of startled realization and motioned for them to come to him. Once they were sitting, Seti looked at them both and spoke.

"It is a good thing this has happened while you are here." He began.

"What are you referring to?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"The sharing of blood, the bonding of souls, do not think that I cannot feel the change within both of you." He stated, apparently insulted by the question.

"Change, what change?" Kagome questioned, not understanding what he spoke about.

"Let me guess, you didn't know that you were doing anything more then creating a mate's bond. Well, you were wrong. You are adjacent crescents, do you remember nothing about what you were taught about when two such as you join?" He questioned.

"Nothing was ever taught about the two that bond changing." Kagome stated.

"Well, it would see as if your lesson for today is going to change then. Each of you have taken in power from the other, the two foreign energies within you are going to clash against each other for a while until your bond grows stronger. Every bond between two crescents has caused different effects, I can give you no warning as to what these clashes will cause, but I can warn you that the clashing will occur when the two of you are not together. It is extremely important that the two of you remain in very close proximity of each other at all times. One clash holds true with every bond, Kagome, if your energy bursts as it did yesterday, it will hit him, however, Sesshoumaru, you are now immune to the holy powers of tenshi and miko so it will not harm you." Seti stated.

"Why do the classes occur?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"The energy of a tenshi and youkai are complete opposite of each other. The energy that has been exchanged between the two of you are going to have to adjust and become peaceful with its new location." Seti answered.

"How long will it take for our bond to become strong enough for the clashing to stop?" Kagome questioned.

"That will depend on the two of you. How much time alone the two of you spend together. It could take a few days, and then again it could take several years." He answered.


End file.
